The One That Got Away
by CatsBalletHarveySpecter
Summary: Donna Paulsen and Harvey Specter were inseparable in high school. Twenty years, two marriages and one falling out later and they find themselves meeting again. A Darvey AU in which Donna and Harvey come face to face with the one that got away.
1. Chapter 1

Hey Guys! Once again the twitterverse has inspired me to write this one shot, which was was too big to be a one shot so it's going to be three parts (I think, I'm currently working through part 2) This is only my second time attempting an AU, so please, bear with me.

I told myself I wasn't going to write this one, because I would rather read it but the idea bounced around in my head for an entire day and I had to give it a shot! I'm hoping to have the entire story up soon, but I figured this part served as a good introduction to get people excited for this one (because I'm excited to be writing this one). This story is shaping up to be a lengthy one, so buckle up and get ready to enjoy the ride ;)

Since I am new to the AU world, please leave me a review if your enjoyed Part 1!

(disclaimer: the rating of this story will change with each part)

Happy Reading - xx S

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**The One That Got Away **

**Part 1**

**Brooklyn, New York, 2013 **

"Lunch bag?"

"Lunch bag!"

"Backpack?"

"Backpack!"

"Let's roll little guy, we don't want to be late again" he smiles down at eight-year-old Gordon, as he messes up his sandy blonde curls and leads him out to the car.

He watches as his son impatiently waits next to the car door, a spitting image of his father. He knows that if he were still around, he would be incredibly proud of how Gordon Jr turned out, spirited like Harvey was, but musically inclined like Gordon had been.

Weaving his way through the city, he watches as his son stares out the window at the early morning traffic. Gordon was an unusually quiet kid who often kept to himself, so Harvey was used to the silent car rides but this morning something seemed different, he seemed off.

"What's on your mind buddy?" he asks, peering into the review mirror.

"I was just thinking about mom today" he sighs, his gaze still stuck on the oncoming traffic, a see of taxi cabs and commuters racing to be somewhere on time.

"I miss her" he adds with a sigh.

Harvey's face pales at his son's words, not expecting the answer he received, his deceased wife not being a regular topic for his son to bring up.

"I miss her too buddy" he offers him a soft smile in the mirror, "Maybe after school you and I can make a trip uptown and visit her, how does that sound?"

"Sure dad" he mumbles, and Harvey can tell there is still something on his mind.

"Any reason you were thinking about mom a little bit extra today?" he asks, hoping his son will open up to him.

Silence fills the space between them as he continues to make his way towards the school, waiting for his son to elaborate on what has him feeling so down.

"It's just, Thursday is parent-teacher day and all of the other kids were talking about how their mom's were going to come and meet Ms. Pearson and it made me wish mom could come."

"I know it's not the same, but I'm going to go with you to parent teacher day buddy, okay?"

"Okay" he answers, and Harvey's heart sinks a bit. It kills him that he can't bring Claudia back for his son, but he was going to do everything in his power to show Gordon that he would always be there for him; whether that meant attending events at the school or coaching a sports team, he was going to be there.

After dropping Gordon off at school, he stops for a coffee before heading to work, his usual order, two sugars and a hint of vanilla; a die-hard habit he started in high school that he'd never been able to break. It was so habitual he hardly remembered when he started adding vanilla to his coffee, either that or he never let his mind wander to the memories associated with the reason.

He makes it to his office fifteen minutes before his class is due to start and takes the time to enjoy his coffee while glancing over his lecture notes for today's class, Chapter 19: Ethics and You. Peering out his office window he watches as the leaves from the oak tree flutter against the window before hitting the pavement below, the campus painted a fresh, crisp orange due to the changing leaves. The fall semester was nearing its end, and he found Columbia's campus particularly beautiful this time of year. He can't pinpoint whether it was the cool air that lingered through the quad or the ever-changing colours of the trees but something about strolling across campus on an early fall morning always brightened his mood.

His day passes in a flash, his lecture delivered without a hitch, office hours filled with students eager to learn and by the time 3:30 rolls around he's exhausted from a hard days work. He was hesitant to accept a teaching position at Columbia when it was first offered to him, but having worked as the Ethic's professor for their law school for the past six years, he can't believe there was a time he ever considered turning the offer down.

He's about to head out to pick up Gordon from school when his colleague, Mike, knocks on his office door. Mike was a few years younger than Harvey and newer to the university, having been hired to teach debate a few years after Harvey. The two immediately hit it off, becoming fast friends as they discovered they both loved baseball and were huge cinema fans. They played in a baseball beer league on Wednesday nights and Gordon referred to Mike as _Uncle Mike, _since the younger man was unmarried and spent a lot of time hanging around with Harvey and his brother Marcus.

"Did you double check that Katie can watch the kids so you and Marcus can both play Wednesday?" he grins, seeing himself into the office and taking a seat at Harvey's desk.

"We'll be there" Harvey smiles, tossing his book bag over his shoulder and shooing Mike out of his office, he locks the door behind them.

"I've got to run and pick up Gordon, but I'll see you Wednesday," he calls over his shoulder to Mike.

.

Waiting outside the car, Harvey spots his son running towards him sporting a massive smile, a completely different attitude emanating from him than the one from this morning.

"Hey buddy! How was your day?" Harvey squats down so his son can launch himself into a hug.

"It was awesome!" he yells, pushing a cream coloured envelope into his father's hands before climbing into the car.

"Awesome, huh? What made it so _awesome?!_" Harvey emphasizes the word awesome to make it sound like Gordon had which causes Gordon to laugh.

"We got our class pictures" the little boy explains, pointing towards the envelope he put in his father's hands.

Sliding the picture out of the envelope, Harvey looks over the picture of his son's third grade class, spotting his son standing in the front row between a blonde-haired girl and a short, red-headed boy, face littered with freckles. His son explains who everyone in the picture is and how Ms. Pearson made them line up tallest to shortest before taking the picture but Harvey doesn't hear a word of it, his eyes glued to the red-headed boy next to Gordon in the photo, the boy that photo said was Jason Bleaker. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn that if she had a son, he would have looked just like that, but he hadn't seen or heard from her in years. Come to think of it, he hadn't thought about her for years.

That was a lie. Every so often, something would happen that reminded him of her. A whiff of perfume, a song on the radio, a glimpse of ginger hair out of the corner of his eye. He didn't let his mind wander to her, because when it did thoughts of her consumed him, thoughts he would rather leave hidden away in a box under his bed. It came in waves, phases of missing her. He was genuinely happy when he married Claudia, his mind never bringing her up, but as time wore on after his wife's death, he found himself thinking about her more and more. His high school sweetheart, the one that got away.

"Daaaad, are you listening?" Gordon whines, snapping him back to reality.

"Ugh yeah buddy, of course I was listening. Hey, who's that beside you?" he asks, pointing to the red-head, unable to keep his curiosity at bay.

"That's Jason. He's really nice. He likes firetrucks just like I do so we are friends" Gordon smiles up at his father who reaches down to help him with his seat belt before climbing into the drivers seat.

The rest of the ride home, Gordon goes on about each of the kids in his class and what they think about fire trucks and Harvey can't help but smile at his sons enthusiasm, a trait he inherited from his mother no doubt.

.

.

**Upper West Side, Manhattan, 2013 **

"Where do you think you're going little miss?"

"To school" the small red head smiles up at her mother with pride.

"Let's save the lipstick for home, alright?" Donna smirks, using the back of her hand to remove the bright red lipstick smeared across her daughter's face.

"Now, go grab your brother before mommy is late for work" she instructs Amelia, her ten-year-old daughter.

"Jason! Mom says it's time to go!" the girl squeals, running down the hall towards her younger brother's room.

Donna finishes putting the kid's lunches into their respective lunch bags and retrieves her own lunch from the fridge. Helping both kids into their shoes, its another 15 minutes before they're all buckled into the car and on the road.

"Mommy, do you have a show today?" Amelia asks from the back seat as they made their way through the city.

"Just practice today baby" Donna smiles back at the little girl, a spitting image of her younger self.

"We get to come watch, right mom?" Jason asks, "Because I told all the kids in my class that my mom is a famous actress and that I get to go watch her in a play."

"Of course, you two get to come watch! In two weeks, you and Auntie Rachel are going to be sitting in the front row!" she explains. Referring to her long-term best friend as auntie Rachel was something her kids had been doing since they were born. She and Rachel had been friends since high school, and she'd been the biggest help when Donna and Matthew divorced. Rachel had been the perfect shoulder to cry on for Donna, while stepping in as a second parental figure for her kids. The divorce was messy and complicated, and she tried her best to keep her kids as far away from the drama as possible. Her ex-husband was a corporate lawyer at some fancy law firm downtown and pulled every string to try and get custody of the kids but in the end, she won and he only got to see them on weekends. The divorce being as messy as it was, was solely due to her ex-husband, who wasn't quite ready to call it quits when she was. She could have stuck it out, tried to make it work one more time, but she couldn't bring herself to stay in a loveless marriage. It wasn't fair to any of the parties involved.

Moving out on her own for the first time since college was challenging, but Rachel was there through it all and she would be forever grateful for all she had done for her and her kids. Her job as an actress could be unpredictable at times, but Rachel never hesitated to step in and pick up the kids when needed.

Amelia squeals as she points to the advertisement on the taxi next to them, a sign that read, _Waitress, Opening Soon, _with Donna and a few other cast members faces beneath it.

"Mom, look!"

Turning to see what her kids were so excited about, she can't help the smile that works it's way across her face from spreading into a full blown grin. She'd always wanted to be an actress, in high school it was all she could talk about. She would tell people that one day she would make it to the stage and become a star, but no one ever believed her. She grew up in a small town near Boston, and everyone would tell her that a kid from Boston would never make it, well everyone except for one person. Shaking her head, she pushes the thoughts of him aside, focusing on driving her kids to school and not allowing herself to go there.

After dropping the kids off at school, she makes her way back towards the heart of the city for rehearsal, stopping to grab a coffee before she did. She orders her usual, two sugars and a splash of vanilla and a blueberry muffin and finds herself drowning out the sound of the city traffic with the radio. She parks her car in her usual spot and strolls into the theater, coffee in hand, ready to conquer the day.

"Oh good, Ms Paulsen, they need you in wardrobe" a man dressed in black from head to toe instructs as she brushes past her in a hurry.

"Donna, do you have time to do that interview later this afternoon?" the stagehand asks as she picks up her own pace to match Donna's purposeful one.

God, this was her first big show and she already loved show business. Sure, she'd done some off-Broadway stuff before, but this was different, it felt bigger. Everything was moving fast here, and she loved it, thrived in the environment. Agreeing to the interview she heads to wardrobe to see where she's needed and sighs, who knew the little girl from Boston would make it one day.

.

.

"How was school today?" she asks over dinner, watching as Jason picked at his pasta salad and Amelia pushed the carrots to the side of her plate.

"It was good" they sing-song together, an almost robotic response they'd adopted in recent months.

"It was good? That's it? Nothing fun happened?" she tries again, gesturing for Amelia to eat her untouched carrots.

"It's parent-teacher day on Thursday" Jason pipes up, always eager to be the first one to answer.

"I remember, I'm meeting Ms. Pearson at 3 o'clock" she grins back at her little man, his freckles identical to hers when she was younger. Though her kids looked like an equal blend of her and her ex-husband, she often found herself finding physical traits in them that reminded her of herself decades prior. Both had her fiery red hair and pale skin dotted with freckles, but while Jason's eyes were identical to her hazel ones, Amelia had her father's eyes and Jason his smile.

"And Mr. Clark at 3:30" Amelia reminds her.

"Yes, I wrote it down on the fridge, so I don't forget. Now eat your dinner so we can go get some ice cream."

.

.

She was running late to pick up the kids and practically sprinted out of rehearsal, still in her green wrap dress and heels, having had no time to change into her typical yoga-pant and sweater combo. She manages to make it to the school just as the kids are being dismissed for the day and tossing her hair into a messy ponytail, she makes her way to the door to meet Jason before heading into his parent-teacher interview.

He sprints towards her, collapsing his arms around her legs for a hug and beams up at her with a loud "_Hi mom"_

A second little boy trails behind him and lingers near his side before Jason whispers in his ear and then tugs on the arm to get her attention.

"Mom, this is my friend Gordon who just moved to our school. Can we go play at the park when you go and talk to Ms. Pearson?" he asks with pleading eyes.

"Are Gordon's parents okay with it?" she asks, not wanting to overstep.

"His dad is inside right now talking to Ms. Pearson but he said it was okay" Jason tells her, flitting his eyelashes in a way that only a Paulsen could pull off.

"Alright, but, take your sister with you and stay where I can see you" she ruffles his hair before the two boys sprint towards the playground.

Watching as the boys laughed about something in the dirt, she feels her heart swell with pride. Jason had always been an extremely shy child, so it was nice to see him making friends with kids in his class. She pulls out a tube of lip gloss and coats her lips in a layer, aware that she looked out of place in her heels and designer gown, standing outside a middle school in Brooklyn.

She considered sending her kids to a private school like her former husband insisted, but she decided public school would best suit them and so far, she was happy with the decision. Despite the few minutes it took to drive the kids to school, they seemed happy and were doing well in their classes. Leaning back against the wall outside of her son's classroom she fiddles with the ends of her messy updo, suddenly conscious of the way she looked.

She knew that her kids went around telling their classmates that their mom was famous, and while she didn't mind, the last thing she wanted was for the other parents to think she was stuck up or worse, that she thought that she was better than them. Tugging at a lose thread on her dress, she gets lost in her own head, making a mental list of all the things she needed to get done this week.

"Donna? Donna Paulsen?" a voice behind her calls her name and she spins around and spots him. The same sandy brown hair and mischievous grin. The same man that had briefly popped into her head the day before and the only person to ever believe she would make it as an actress was standing three feet in front of her, staring at her.

"Harvey?" she stares back at the man, a combination of shock and disbelief washing over her body.

"Holy shit! It is you!" he exclaims, running his fingers through his hair before tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans and flashing her a smile. The same smile she once fell asleep dreaming about. But that was a different time, he was all grown up now, different, and she supposed she was too. He looked the same as the last time she saw him, only older. His broad shoulders covered by a black v-neck and his eyes hidden behind thick rimmed glasses, he looked exactly like what she would have pictured, not that she ever allowed herself to picture what he would look like now.

He takes in her stunning green dress, the way it hugs her every curve and the way her stilettos show off her legs, he's shell-shocked. Donna Paulsen. The girl who once broke his nose because he tried to kiss her in the school hallway was standing three feet in front of him and she looked absolutely incredible. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, a look he always appreciated on her and her face hadn't changed a bit. Still littered with freckles her button nose sat between those hazel eyes he still dreams about, and her hair was a vibrant as ever. She looks just like she did the last time her saw her, only somehow, she'd gotten prettier, something he never thought was possible.

"Harvey Specter, you've grown up" she smiles at him once the initial shock of seeing him wears off.

"Donna Paulsen, so have you" he gives her a once over and blushes when she catches his lingering stare.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, nervously shuffling his feet before settling on a stance.

"My son, Jason is in Ms. Pearson's class," she explains and suddenly it clicks, he was right about the child in the class photo, Jason Bleaker was her son, therefore she must be married but stealing a glance at her left hand he didn't see a ring.

"I suppose I could ask you the same thing" she adds, picking at the nail polish on her finger nails.

"My son, Gordon, is also in Ms. Pearson's class" he replies.

"Gordon is your son? I just met him, he's a cute little thing" she says, pointing to where Jason and Gordon were taking turns pushing each other on the swings.

"I see it now," she continues as she watches the kids play, "He has your eyes." And your father's name, she thinks to herself. She knows she shouldn't be surprised, Harvey and his father had always been close and she can't imagine losing him had been easy. Her mother called to tell her the news when she was overseas one summer with friends and her heart broke for the Specter family. Gordon always treated her like a daughter, and it killed her that she wouldn't be able to attend the funeral. She considered calling, checking in on him, but they hadn't spoken since their falling out and she decided to send flowers instead of facing the hard truths that would come with calling him.

"So, how have you been Donna? I haven't seen you since graduation."

"I-"

"Ms. Paulsen" Jessica calls, signalling that it's Donna's turn for an interview.

"It's been really nice seeing you Harvey, but it looks like I should get going. Take care." She smiles, placing a hand on his arm before excusing herself into the classroom to meet with her son's teacher.

He can't help but notice that Jessica referred to her as Ms. Paulsen, while her son's last name is Bleaker. It was possible that she was married but didn't take her husbands last name but he doubts that. In high school she would often joke about what things would be like when she was finally a Paulsen-Specter, while they sat on the hood of his father's old car beneath the stars.

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**Boston, 1993 **

_"Harveeyyyy" she whined, feet up on the dashboard as he drove them through the city towards the edge of the town. With her white converse pressed against the window, hand flung out the window and her hair tossed back in a ponytail, she propped herself up in the passengers seat of his dads car. _

_"Why can't you just tell me where you're taking me?" she pouts, crossing her arms over her chest and staring straight out the passenger seat window. _

_"Because it's a surprise" he smiles back, "You do know you're the hardest person on the planet to surprise, right?" _

_"I am not!"_

_"Donna, you figured out what I was going to get you for your birthday before I even went out and bought it"_

_"You just have a really bad poker face!" she protests, slipping her hand into his as turned them onto an old gravel road that leads to the edge of the small town they lived in. _

_"Oh, I love this song!" she squealed, reaching to turn up the volume of the radio, the sounds of The Cure vibrating through the speakers. _

_*Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too*_

_She sings along with the radio, disturbingly on tune, in his opinion. He knew she wanted to be an actress one day, but Donna had an incredible singing voice and he could see her doing something musical in the future, not that she ever listened when he told her she had a nice voice. _

_*Thursday I don't care about you*_

_She continues, getting louder as she carries the tune and the wind whips through the car as he picks up speed, trees rushing by as they fly down the country road. _

_*It's Friday I'm in love*_

_He surprises her and sings along with her, incredibly off tune and scratchy but he commits to it and screams the next few lines along with the radio, making her giggle. _

_"What?" he cocks his head an raises an eyebrow at her, "You don't like my voice?" he teases, turning his attention back to the road. _

_"Let's just say you're not going to be signing any record deals any time soon" she laughs, releasing her hold on his hand to adjust her hair, letting it loose. _

_"But you might be," he replies, and she sees the corner of his lip curl into a small smile. _

_"Ya, right" she scoffs, "You know that you're the only person who thinks me wanting to be an actress isn't crazy?" _

_"Guess no one knows you as well as I do" he grins, placing his hand on her thigh as he pulled the car into an empty lot at the end of the gravel road they'd been driving down. _

_"What are we doing here?" she asks, climbing out of the car after him._

_"Stargazing," he explains, offering her a hand and helping her onto the hood of the car where she settles into his arms. _

_"It isn't dark?" she stares back, face fiddled with confusion. _

_"But it will be, and until then," he hops down off the hood of the car and goes to retrieve something from the back seat. He comes back with a bag of popcorn, two cans of beer and a small book, "I figured you could teach me some of your favourite lines," he grinned, pressing the book of Shakespeare's greatest works into her hand. _

_She leans over and places a hand on his shoulder, pulling him in for a kiss. It's a soft kiss, his lips meeting hers with a gentle urgency and she blushes when they finally part. They'd been dating for nearly four months, been best friends nearly four years and kissing him still made ever nerve in her body come alive. _

_"Alright Paulsen, educate me" he smirks as she flips the book open to one of her favourite scenes from Merchant of Venice, settling her head in the crook of his neck as they lay across the hood of the car as the sun begins to fall and paint the sky in a sea of pastels. They stay like that for hours, her in his arms, reading, laughing and telling stories until the sky is filled with small twinkling lights and they lay hand in hand staring up at the star-filled sky._

_._

_._

**Brooklyn, 2013**

He watches as she waves goodbye and shuts the door behind her, a weird sensation coursing through his body. In all the years he'd lived in the city, or for the past year that Gordon had attended this school, he never even caught wind of what she was up to now-a-days and now here she was, attending a parent teacher conference at the same school his son attended in Brooklyn. He hadn't seen or heard from Donna Paulsen since his senior year of high school, twenty years prior, but he suddenly found himself wanting to run into her again. The thoughts he long since pushed aside rushing to the forefront of his mind. He wanted to ask her about her life, what did she do now? How college had been, was she happy?

.

.

She was flustered for the entire interview with Jason's teacher, the ghost from her past that was Harvey Specter having rattled her to her core. She didn't even know he lived in the city and now here he was asking her how she was. She can't believe she never realized one of the kid's in Jason's class shared his last name, but would she have done anything about it had she known? Probably not. She hadn't given him a proper thought in years. Sure, she spent a lot of time after high school thinking about what could have been, but that was nearly two decades ago, they were both different people now.

She decided that she wouldn't think about it once she got the kids home, she still had to meet Amelia's teacher and besides, he was married, he had a son, and there was no way she would be on his mind once he headed home. The interview with Amelia's teacher came and went in a blur and before she knew it, they were on their way home to celebrate the excellent progress her kids were making in school. She tries her best to put it out of her mind, but her mind is stuck on that smile and she can't help herself from asking Jason about his new classmate.

"So, Jason, your new friend Gordon seemed very nice" she smiles down at her son who is happily eating his cotton candy ice cream cone.

"He is mom, he moved here from another school because it was closer to his dad's work" he explains, desperately licking at his ice cream cone to prevent it from running down his hand as it melted.

"Oh" she replies, using her thumb to wipe the excess chocolate on Amelia's face.

"He doesn't have a mommy, so he said his dad wanted him to be closer to his work" Jason continues to explain, launching into a story about what he and Gordon did at recess the day before, but she's stuck on his first sentence.

If Harvey wasn't married, why did he wear a wedding ring?


	2. Chapter 2

**Hellooo lovely people! As mentioned, this is a 3 part story and I wanted to thank you for all the wonderful feedback on the first part! This one is a little longer, as the third part will be, but hey, I knew this was a big story going in. This one took a while because I wanted to get the details just right so please, review review review! **

**Please feel free to leave me some feedback or comments, I'm new to the AU world so it would a lot to know what I can improve on etc!**

**I'm having some real fun with this one, and I'm BEYOND excited to get writing what I have in store for the last part!**

**Happy Reading -xx S**

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**The One That Got Away - Part 2/3**

**Upper West Side, 2013 **

**A Wednesday Night in Late October **

She spent the entire week busy with rehearsals, fittings and shuttling the kids to and from school. She was so busy that when Wednesday evening rolled around, she'd nearly forgotten she was supposed to chaperone Jason's school trip to the Aquarium the next day. Making a few quick calls, she rearranged her rehearsal schedule and went to tuck the kids into bed.

Reading Amelia a chapter from her favourite story, _Harry Potter, _she tucks her daughter into bed and places a soft kiss on her forehead as she quietly slips out of her room. She pokes her head into Jason's room to find him already fast asleep and tiptoes up to his bed to remove the toy firetruck from his hand and place a kiss on his head.

She fetches herself a glass of wine and crawls into her own bed, intentions set on finishing the latest novel she'd picked up but she finds her mind elsewhere. She downs her wine in two large gulps and closes her eyes, seeing the wrinkles that formed at the corner of his eyes when he smiles, the toned arms and the tanned skin. Snap out of it, she tries to tell herself, you haven't seen the man in twenty years and you're never going to see him again, let it go. But despite her greatest efforts, she can't seem to let it go, images of them swirling through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

.

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**Brooklyn, 2013**

**That Same Wednesday Night in late October**

"You'll never guess who I ran into the other day" Harvey says, as he finishes off his beer and leans back against the bench in the dug out.

"Who?" Marcus and Mike both ask at the same time.

"Donna Paulsen" he sighs, tossing his arm up on the back of the bench.

"Like from high school?" Marcus clarifies and Mike just stares back confused. He'd known Harvey for a while, but never once did he hear him talk about a woman named Donna.

"Yes" Harvey replies, avoiding his brother's penetrating gaze, "turns out our sons are in the same class."

"She's married?" Marcus questions.

"She didn't have a ring on" he reasons, and his brother recognizes the dopey look on his face. Harvey had been in love with Donna Paulsen since the ninth grade, and his brother was suddenly sporting a lovesick look he hadn't seen in years. When Marcus first moved his family to the city, it was to help Harvey out after Claudia had passed away, and in the six years since Harvey had been single, he hadn't once seen him smile like this. His little brother was head over heels in love with Donna in high school, and that was before they ever even dated. The pair were inseparable all throughout junior year and Marcus would often tease his brother about having a crush on the redhead, but he always denied it. He's not sure when things shifted but suddenly the summer before his brother's senior year they started dating and he'd never seen Harvey as brokenhearted as when she left the following year.

"That doesn't mean anything. You still wear your ring but…" Marcus stops, unable to finish his sentence.

"Marcus, you're up!" their teammate calls and Marcus grabs a bat and makes his way to home plate.

"Who's Donna?" Mike asks, passing Harvey a second beer.

"Just an old friend" Harvey tries to brush it off, Marcus' comment about her being married unsettling him, even though it shouldn't.

"An old friend? Or an old girlfriend?" Mike presses.

"Drop it Mike, forget I said anything, she's no one" he grumbles before taking a bat and making his way to the plate for his turn at bat.

He debated not saying anything to Marcus, knowing his brother wasn't Donna's biggest fan. The funny thing was, he was always the one who rooted for them together in high school, encouraging Harvey to tell her how he felt for years before he worked up the courage to finally tell her.

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**Boston, 1992**

**Summer Before Senior Year**

_Climbing in through his bedroom window, the sound of Marcus' voice behind him nearly gives him a heart attack. _

_"You were out late" Marcus clucks, sitting at the end of Harvey's bed flipping through a comic book. _

_"I went mini-golfing across town" he explains, tossing his bag onto the floor and shutting the window behind him. _

_"What are you even doing in here?" he asks, glaring at his brother as he gathered a pair of pajamas out of his drawer._

_"I was looking for something to read," Marcus explains, holding up the Superman comic that he was reading. _

_"Who did you go golfing with?" he adds, flopping back down onto his brother's bed. _

_"Donna and her friend Rachel" he replies, tossing his band t-shirt over his head and slipping into his pajama top. _

_"Right, your little girlfriend" Marcus smirks, watching as his brother's cheeks redden. _

_"How many times do I have to tell you that we're just friends?" he rolls his eyes at his brother, flopping down on his bed next to him. _

_"When are you going to man up and admit you have feelings for her?"_

_"Never, because I don't!" Harvey snaps and Marcus can tell he's struck a nerve. _

_"Alright, fine. But let's say you did. You should tell her how you feel because I have a funny feeling, she feels the same way. I've seen the way that girl looks at you, and she doesn't look at you like you're her best friend. You two have been as thick as thieves for as long as I can remember, but my god take a risk and tell the girl how you feel, would you please." Marcus says before tossing the comic book on the bed and marching towards the door. _

_"It's not like that Marcus…"_

_"Are you telling me that if Donna told you she wanted more, you would say no?" _

_Harvey thinks about the question for a moment before muttering a soft "No"_

_"There we have it" Marcus throws his hands up with an exasperated sigh. _

_"I can't tell her" Harvey sighs, a look of defeat washing over his face. _

_"Why not?"_

_"What if she doesn't think of me that way and it ruins everything?"_

_"I think the question you have to ask yourself is whether or not what you feel for her is worth the risk. Because my guess is that it's worth the risk." _

_"Maybe" Harvey thinks out loud as Marcus sees himself out of his brother's room._

_._

_._

**Brooklyn, 2013**

**A Baseball Field**

Marcus and his father adored Donna in high school. She would join them for family dinner where she and his father would spend hours talking about music and when she left Marcus would whisper that he should just tell her how he felt, and he would deny having feelings for her; a never-ending cycle between the brothers. She joined him when he went to visit Gordon in the studio and sometimes his band would let Donna sing along with them while Harvey watched with pride as his two favourite people bonded. Before he got his licence, Gordon would drop them off at the ice cream parlor where they would spend hours playing the old arcade games inside. Once he was able to drive, he would take them but Marcus would occasionally join and convince Donna to share a banana split with him.

His brother was always supportive of his and Donna's relationship, until he saw how broken-hearted he was when it fizzled out and they hadn't talked about her since that night Marcus found him curled up on the couch, his tear-stained face puffy from the tears he'd cried.

He focuses on the ball being pitched and sends it flying over third base, letting out his frustration and sending Marcus' running home while successfully sliding into second base safe. He never should have mentioned it to Marcus, but he needed to tell someone because he couldn't get her off his mind.

After leaving the school last week, he asked Gordon about his new friend, Jason, but he didn't say much other than Jason had an older sister named Amelia and that his mom was famous. He wasn't sure what eight-year old's defined as famous so he went home and looked her up, the first time he'd allowed himself to do so, and discovered she was starring in the Broadway production of Waitress that was opening in a few weeks. Smiling to himself, he closed his search and poured himself a drink, he always knew she had what it took to make it.

After the game Mike asks if he and Marcus wanted to come over for a drink but he declines the offer, knowing that if he doesn't get some rest, supervising Gordon's class trip to the aquarium the next day would likely kill him.

.

.

**Upper West Side/Brooklyn, 2013**

"Mooom we're going to be late!" Jason calls from the porch, impatiently tapping his foot as he waits for her to join him.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she calls as grabs her purse and places a kiss on top of Amelia's head.

"Amelia, you be good for Auntie Rachel and make sure you get to school on time" she calls as she waves to Rachel and heads out the door.

"We'll be extra early" Rachel calls after her, flashing her a reassuring smile before Donna shuts the door behind her and ushers Jason towards the car.

"You look pretty mom" he smiles up at her as she helps him into his seat.

"Thanks baby" she smiles back before climbing into the driver's seat and catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She'd decided on a pair of dark jeans and a cream coloured turtleneck, a pair of black booties and had her hair swept out of her face in a half-up, half-down style. Her makeup was subtle, but there and she finished the outfit with a red lipstick that made her cream coloured sweater pop.

Jason spends the duration of the ride to the aquarium talking about all the sharks he was going to see, and she must applaud his memory. For someone who was only eight, he sure knew a lot about random things, like fire trucks and sharks. Once Jason was interested in something, he became obsessed with it, begging her to buy him as many books about the topic as possible so he could learn everything there was to know. Last month, it was bats, this month is was sharks. The only interest the remained constant was his interest in fire trucks, a fascination that she can't quite figure out.

Luckily Rachel had agreed to take Amelia to school so she could chaperone the field trip she'd forgotten about, another reason she was blessed to have a friend like Rachel in her life. She hadn't had much time to spend alone with her lately, but she made a mental note to plan a girl's night soon. She'd been contemplating avoiding one, wanting to avoid detailing her run in with Harvey, but she figured she better get it over with sooner rather than later. Rachel would realize something was up the moment they were alone, there was no hiding anything from the girl who knew her better than anyone.

Pulling into the school parking lot, Jason practically jumps out of his seat to join the other kids that were already lining up to get on the bus that was going to take them to the aquarium. Donna trails behind him, carrying his backpack to where the other parent volunteers were signing in with Ms. Pearson.

She's yelling at Jason to stop running when she spots him, a massive grin spread across his face as he laughed at something one of the other dads was saying. She stops in her tracks when upon seeing him, reminding herself to breath, she regains composure and continues towards the other parents.

"Donna, it's good to see you!" Shelby, one of the other moms greets her.

"You too Shelby, how's Ethan doing?"

"Oh, you know, balls of energy these kids" she chuckles, and Donna laughs along before reaching for a sign in sheet and her name tag. Sticking it to her shirt, the sticker read, _Donna Paulsen. _

"Hey" his voice comes from behind her and she whirls around to come face to face with him.

"Harvey" she greets, hoping her voice came out steady and not showcasing the sudden nerves she felt fluttering in her stomach, "I didn't know you'd be here."

God, why did she say that? She hadn't seen the man in twenty years and she practically just admitted she'd been thinking about whether he would be here today; a thought that until this moment never crossed her mind.

"And miss the first field trip of the year? Gordon would never let me live it down" he smiles, sticking his own name tag to his navy cardigan with a dopey grin.

"You two are pretty close, huh?" she asks, peering over his shoulder at their two boys who are both showing off their collection of toy firetrucks to one another.

"We're all each other has" he responds with a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know-" she begins to apologize, her face fading into a shade that matches her hair.

"How could you have known? We haven't seen each other in what…"

"Twenty years" she answers for him, their eyes momentarily locking before they both turn away.

"Twenty years too long" he mumbles under his breath, but she doesn't catch it.

"How have you been Donna?" he flashes her a genuine toothy smile that makes her heart lurch.

"I've been… I've been really good. These guys keep me on my toes, but I wouldn't trade it for the world" she answers.

"Gordon told me you're, um…acting" Harvey says, trying to be discrete about the fact he looked up her acting career.

"Ya, well, journalism didn't really work out for me, so I figured I'd give acting another shot and here I am, about to star in my first play that isn't off Broadway."

"I always knew you'd be a big star one day."

"I think you were the only one that ever believed in me when it came to pursuing acting" she replies, slowly letting her guard down as the conversation continues.

"Common, that's not true, what about Rachel? She was always going on about the big parties you would drag her to once you'd _made it_." He exaggerates the last part just like Rachel used to when she would drone on about all of the handsome men she would meet once Donna was an actress.

"I think we've traded big party's for babysitting my kids" Donna laughs, tossing her semi-ponytail over her shoulder.

"You two are still friends?"

"We are. She's been a real asset in helping raise my kids. After the divorce, she was a second set of hands and I don't know why I'm telling you all of this, you don't care…" she rambles, embarrassed to have just spilled details of her personal life when he was probably only making conversation to be polite.

She was divorced. It suddenly all made perfect sense. Why her kids had a different last name, why she didn't wear a ring. He watched as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip, a habit she'd had since high school. Every time she got nervous or flustered, she would do it and he found it adorable that even after all this time, she appeared to be nervous around him. The feeling was mutual, his stomach turning the moment he spotted her step out of her car. She was dressed down compared to the last time he saw her, but she was still a sight for sore eyes.

She had her hair pulled back again and if recalls correctly, she'd always hated having it tied back because she was insecure about her neck, but he'd always loved when she pulled it back. It showed off the freckles along her her neck and shoulders, freckles that once upon a time he would trace patterns between with his tongue, and it accentuated her collarbones.

"Rachel is good with kids? Now that is something I would pay to see. She used to always go on about how much she hated kids" he chuckles and she's grateful he doesn't pry for information about her divorce.

"She says that since they're my kids it's different" Donna laughs, allowing the back of her hand to graze his forearm for a fraction of a second before realizing and quickly pulling it away.

"So, what I'm hearing is she hasn't changed at all?" he smirks.

"Not in the slightest," Donna continues to laugh, and she can't believe how natural this conversation between them seems to flow.

"Alright, chaperones," Ms. Pearson claps her hands to gain everyone's attention.

"If you can all line up with the group number you are supposed to supervise, we can get this show on the road! Every group should have two parent chaperones, if your group doesn't, come find me."

"I guess I should head over to good ol' group number 3" Harvey says, holding up his information sheet with a large three at the top.

"We might as well head over together" she smiles and holds up her sheet with an identical 3 in the top right corner. She doesn't know if fate is playing a cruel joke on her or if it was trying to tell her something by pairing them up, but she was trying to focus on the positive.

"Well, after you" he gestures towards where their kids are standing in line next to the bus.

.

.

**Boston, 1989**

_"Harvey Specter?" an older balding male calls out at the front of the classroom. _

_"Yes sir?" an eager young Harvey answers the man at the front of the room. They were two weeks into ninth grade and Harvey was working to make a good impression on all his teachers, even if that meant being an over-enthusiastic teachers pet. _

_"Your partner for the semester is going to be Ms. Paulsen, please go and take a seat next to her" he instructs. _

_Harvey had seen Donna a few times in passing but had never spoken to her. They ran in different circles. He was trying out for the baseball team while she was a member of the drama club and on the cheer leading squad. _

_Gathering his books, he saunters over to the desk the redhead is seated at and takes a seat beside her._

_"Hey, I'm Harvey" he smiles, sticking out his hand to shake hers, something his father taught him to do when he introduced himself to someone new. _

_"Donna" she answered with a tight-lipped smile, reaching out to shake his hand. _

_"You're in the drama club, right?" he asks. _

_"And I'm a cheerleader, I like to keep my options open" she states matter-of-factly. _

_He peers down at her English notebook and notices she's colour-coded the dates of all her notes, her penmanship was incredibly neat, and she appeared to be insanely organized for someone who was barely sixteen years old. _

_"Are you in any clubs?" she asks, doodling a small star in the top corner of her notebook. _

_"I'm going to be the star of the baseball team this year" he winks which causes her to giggle and blush. She'd seen Harvey in the halls before, and while she'd never actually spoken to him, she found him cute. _

_"Is that so?" she questions with a slight raise of her eyebrow. _

_"Just you watch" _

_"Is that you inviting me to one of your games?" she replies with a coy smile. _

_"Maybe it was" _

_"You're an idiot" she laughs adding a small heart doodle next to the star and working her way down the margin of the page. _

_"I'll have you know I'm no idiot, I might even become a lawyer one day" _

_"Easy hot-shot" she chuckles and rolls her eyes, something he finds irritatingly adorable. _

_"If we're going to work together the entire semester, we need some ground rules. First, you can stop trying to flirt with me. I'm trying to focus on my grades and my acting career, I'm not looking for a distraction."_

_"Donna, I wasn't flirting with you" he protests, using his own pen to draw an upside-down smile next to her latest heart doodle, earning him a death glare from her. _

_"Save it, Specter." _

_"Is that a superman logo on that page?" he asks, noticing the diamond encasing an 'S' on the top corner of her note from the previous day. _

_"Yes, are you always so nosy?"_

_"You like comic books?" _

_"Only the good ones" she smirks, flipping to the front page of her notebook to reveal a page of doodles that included various superhero symbols. _

_"Who would win in a fight? Superman or Thor?" _

_"Superman" she answers as though it's obvious. _

_"I think we're going to be good friends."_

_._

_._

**Brooklyn, 2013**

"Moom! Are you excited to go see the sharks?" Jason bounces on his heels as she and Harvey join him and Gordon in line for the bus.

"Of course I am" she beams, patting Jason on the shoulder, "Do you like sharks too Gordon?" she asks the shy boy she'd met the week prior, who was now hiding slightly behind his fathers leg.

Harvey flips her a thank you smile for trying to include his son and nudges Gordon, who peers out from behind his father to answer, "I like red sunfish" he smiles shyly.

"Well sun fish are excellent fish. Very fast swimmers" she says, and a grin breaks out across Gordon's face.

"Is red your favourite colour? Is that why you like the red ones?" she adds, hoping to get him to feel comfortable with her, after all, he was friends with her son, and it appeared the four of them would be spending the day together.

"Yes, red is my favourite colour because it's dad's favourite" he responds and Harvey's cheeks redden.

In high school, his favourite colour had always been green. He was obsessed with green cars, had a stripe of green lucky tape around the base of his baseball bat and always complimented that green summer dress she wore. She catches herself wondering when his favourite colour shifted to red, but suddenly remembers that the Harvey she knew was twenty years younger, and a lot could change in twenty years.

His cheeks flush at his son's words, almost like a secret admission that he sometimes thought about her flaming locks, the way they used to frame her face so perfectly. He doesn't remember exactly when his favourite colour shifted to red, but deep down he knew it was because the colour always reminded him of her, and a small part of him had never truly been able to let her go.

"What's your favourite fish, Mr. Specter?" Jason pipes up and asks.

"You can call me Harvey, sound good buddy?" he grins down at her son and notices that the freckles that paint his face are nearly identical to the freckles that would appear on the bridge of her nose each summer.

"Okay. Harvey." Jason tests it out and gives himself a satisfied grin upon using an adults first name without getting in trouble, "What's your favourite fish?"

"Hmmmm, that's a tough one but I think it's a sea turtle."

"That isn't a fish!" Both boys protest in unison. Donna's heart swells at the sight. Unlike her daughter, who was a social butterfly and made fast friends, Jason struggled to make friends and didn't usually like spending time with other kids his age, a trait she assumed Gordon shared after seeing how shy he was, and she was glad they found each other. She tunes out of the conversation for a moment, watching as both boys giggle about something Harvey said, the smiles on both of their faces, glee-filled and genuine. She had to admit, he was a natural with the boys. She wasn't sure how long he'd been a single father, or why his marriage ended, but it was clear that he would do anything for Gordon and that he was a wonderful father.

By the time she rejoins the conversation, Harvey had convinced the boys that a sea turtle could count as his favourite fish and the class was beginning to board the bus.

The boys follow Harvey to the third row, where they plop down beside each other and begin rambling with the excitement that accompanied getting to ride on a yellow school bus together; something neither got to do on a regular basis. He nods to the seat next to him and she obliges, sliding herself onto the vinyl seat cover and placing her purse between them.

Neither of them says anything while the rest of the class piles onto the bus, the kids anxiously waiting to get to the aquarium and the other chaperones all engrossed in their own conversations. The watch as their boys giggle and squirm, both encompassed by a weird sense of Deja vu.

"It's weird, right?" he asks

"What's weird?" she plays dumb, deciding to ignore the elephant in the room.

"Me and you, sitting here, on a school bus… together"

"Alright can I have everybody's attention" Jessica claps her hands at the front of the bus and explains that once they reach the aquarium each chaperone will be in charge of their group for the afternoon. They would reconvene at 3pm to head back on the bus but were free to wander the aquarium as they pleased. The third student that was supposed to be in Donna and Harvey's group was out sick,, so it was just the four of them for the day, go figure.

.

.

**Boston, 1991**

_"You really had to take the entire thing home?" _

_"You really had to get caught sneaking in after curfew and lose the car this week, of all weeks" she fires back, helping lug the giant backdrop onto the bus and dropping it in the seat in front of them. _

_"Might I remind you I was caught coming home after curfew because you begged me to run lines with you" he cocks an eyebrow at her and she rolls her eyes in response, something she did just to push his buttons. _

_"You owed me after you made me sit through that entire Red Sox game last weekend!" she cries, slumping down into the seat as the bus pulled away from the school, leaning her head on his shoulder. _

_"Besides," she peers up at him from her place on his shoulder, "You had fun running lines. I don't know why you don't just join the production."_

_"Because I'm too busy with baseball. And don't you dare tell anyone I enjoyed it, or I'll find a new best friend" he warns._

_"So, you admit, you liked it?!" she cries in an ah-ha moment and jerks her head away from his shoulder to watch his response. _

_"You're insufferable, you know that Paulsen?"_

_"But you put up with me anyways" she grins. _

**.**

**.**

**Brooklyn, 2013**

The rest of the ride to the aquarium is relatively silent, the previous conversation having been dropped when Jessica interrupted. They briefly discussed where they should start once they arrived and listened as the boys chatted in front of them. One of the moms sitting behind them began asking Donna about her upcoming show and Harvey was happy to listen in. Her voice was riddled with excitement as she told the woman about how well rehearsals had been going and his heart lurched with pride for the small-town girl who once cried in his arms because she'd accepted she would never make it on stage. She'd really gone out and accomplished all of her dreams from back then, she was a star, she got married and had a family and from what he could tell, she seemed happy.

Once inside the aquarium the boys decided they wanted to start with the freshwater fish exhibit, leaving Donna and Harvey to trail behind them as they rushed from tank to tank, comparing the different types of fish.

Harvey stuffs his hands in his pockets as they stroll side by side through the corridor. When he signed up to chaperone this field trip, he wasn't even aware her kids went to the same school as his son, and now here he was, paired up with her, standing awkwardly next to her as they looked over their eight-year-olds who were excitedly pointing at an assortment of trout. It was odd, the silence that lingered between them. For whatever reason, it didn't seem awkward, it just felt comfortable and familiar, even though they were practically strangers, an entire lifetime between when they last saw each other and now.

"So, you know what I do, but I just realized you haven't told me what you do?" she asks, shattering the silence that filled the air between them.

"I teach ethics at the law school at Columbia" he replies, hands still tucked into his pockets as they continue to leisurely stroll after the boys.

"You always did talk about being a sports lawyer."

"That was the plan throughout college, I actually went to Columbia, for law school, but when Claudia got sick, I decided that teaching would let me have more time at home compared to life as a lawyer.

"I'm so sorry Harvey, I had no idea" she reaches out and places her palm on his forearm, a sincerity filling her eyes that makes his eyes dampen.

"It's okay. It gets easier with time. Gordon, he never really knew her, and he doesn't ask about her often but when he does, I love that I get to be the one to tell him how incredible she was" he sighs, not really sure why he decided to tell her all of that, but glad he did.

"I see the way you are with him, you're a natural" she smiles, removing his hand from his arm and instantly missing the connection.

"Thank you, Donna. That means a lot. You're not so bad at this parenting thing either" his lips curve upwards into a small grin and finding the confidence to playfully nudge into her shoulder.

"Jason is such a shy kid, I'm glad he's found Gordon."

"So is Gordon, it's refreshing to see him actually getting along with someone his own age" Harvey agrees. Coming to a halt in front of a crab exhibit where the boys were stopped.

"You have a daughter too, right?" he adds.

"Amelia, she just turned ten."

"Is she shy as well?"

"Just the opposite, she can pretty much become friends with anyone, she's definitely the more outgoing one."

"Reminds me of you" he answers, and she can feel her cheeks burn as he recalls what she was like in the past.

"I don't know how you do it, throw yourself into work and still find the energy to go on class trips" he muses.

"I would drive myself into the ground if it meant making them smile."

"Just another thing we have in common" he concludes, smile persisting on his lips.

She turned to look for Jason and spotted the boys at the front of the group surrounding the exhibit. She was surprised that the conversation was flowing so freely between them. When she first spotted him in the lot this morning, she was worried the day would be awkward, filled with unsaid words and unrequited awkward glances, but it was far from what she expected. The last time she saw Harvey Specter, she was screaming at him, and for years she wondered what she would say when she saw him next, this wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

In college she often wondered what would happen if she ran into him. Would they pretend they didn't know each other? Would they make awkward small talk, or would they pretend like nothing had happened between them and catch up just like old times? But they ran in different circles, their shared friends avoiding the topic of the other when they talked, and soon they became distant memories to one another. They never ran into each other while at college, never had an accidental meeting when they went home for holidays, and neither of them ever reached out to see what the other was doing.

Hearing about his former wife and how he altered his career path to better support his family was not how she pictured them meeting again going, but she was grateful the meeting didn't involve any screaming or accusations. It was almost like they were meeting again for the first time, lovers turned strangers, getting to know each other once again.

"You studied to become a lawyer?"

"I did, after I got my degree from Yale, I went to Columbia for law, some of the best years of my life."

"What about you? What was college like?"

"It was, an experience" she chuckles, "I went to NYU for journalism, but I hated every second of it and finally after a year and a half I dropped out and applied to the acting program at Yale. I worked for a few years in some off off off Broadwaay productions before I finally went back to school though."

"What I'm hearing is we're both Yale alumni?"

"It seems like it. You know what they say about great minds" she allows herself to flirt.

"Mooom!" Jason calls running over towards where they are standing against the back wall, getting reacquainted.

"I have to go to the bathroom" he explains, Gordon trailing close behind him.

"I can take them" Harvey offers with a soft smile before directing both boys to walk in front of him up the hall towards the restroom.

She watches as they follow his instructions, her eyes settling on the way the fabric of his top hugs his back muscles and she finds herself thinking back to how they used to feel wrapped around her on all of those nights they spent out by the lake, talking about their hopes and dreams for the future. He looks back and notices her watching, tossing a smile in her direction before ushering the boys into the men's room. God, if she wasn't careful, she was going to end up falling for that smile all over again, and she couldn't go down that road, not again. She'd fallen in love with Harvey Specter once before, and she was not about to let herself fall for him once again, she'd had one conversation with the man in twenty years it was by no means grounds to start thinking about the way he used to make her feel, but something about his charm and quick wit had her mind going to places she'd long since tried to forget about.

Waiting for the boys to finish up in the restroom, he splashes some water over his face and takes a series of deep breaths. He never let himself think about her. Not about the way her smile made his heart swell. Not about the way he often dreamt of her laugh, the way her nose crinkled ever so slightly when she was trying to flirt with him, a crinkle he watched grace her face only moments before when she made that comment about great minds. Not even about the way her lips perfectly complimented his, the way that kissing her made him feel alive in unparalleled ways. For twenty years, he didn't let himself go there, and now after only one morning with her, he couldn't help himself from thinking about all those times she made him feel alive.

She mentioned that she was divorced, and for the first time since his wife left him, he found himself interested in a woman. It wouldn't be a crime to flirt with her, but after the way things ended, he doubts she would want that. He was just getting used to being someone she loved when things went south but perhaps, they could be friends. There was a point in time when she was his best friend, and despite the decades that had passed, he can see she hasn't changed much, she was still the same Donna Paulsen that stole French fries off of his plate and watched all of his baseball games. The same spirited girl who made him spend countless weekends working on the sets for school productions and hang posters with her on weekends before shows.

He knows he's getting ahead of himself, but seeing her here, being placed in the same group as her, it was like fate was giving him a second chance. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with it yet, but the one thing he was certain of was that he wasn't going to let her go, not again.

The boys finish up and he takes them back to where she's waiting, and the group decides it would be best to grab lunch. Gordon ends up taking a liking to Donna, who he insists on calling "Jason's mom" and tells her all about his baseball team, a team that his dad coaches, as he proudly tells her.

"Dad used to play baseball when he was a kid!" Gordon brags.

"I bet he used to be really good" she humors the boy, biting into her sandwich.

"He says that he would always run really fast to impress the girls!" Gordon giggles when his father's face reddens, a reoccurring theme for Harvey on this trip.

"Alright, I think that's enough of that story!" he cuts off his son, practically choking on his own sandwich.

"Why dad? You said that you liked to show off for one of the cheerleaders" Gordon adds innocently and this time, it's Donna's turn to blush.

"Mom, you were a cheerleader, that's so funny!" Jason giggles along with Gordon.

"That is funny, isn't it" she says in the most enthusiastic voice she can muster up.

She brushes off the topic, knowing that their kids were oblivious to their past relationship and changes the subject for both of their sakes. The past hadn't come up much in conversation, and for whatever reason, she knew they both preferred it that way.

"Are you boys ready to go see the sharks?" she asks, and they immediately forget about the prior conversation.

"Yeah!" they both exclaim, hurrying to finish their sandwiches.

.

.

**Boston, 1993 **

_"I don't understand why we have to be here…. Why can't we cheer at real sports, like football" a blonde girl named Christine whined as the squad took their places in the first row behind third base. _

_Donna had joined the cheerleading squad in the ninth grade to help keep her options open but soon discovered she enjoyed cheering. It combined her love of being creative with cute skirts and glitter and had the added bonus of getting to attend all of Harvey's baseball games. _

_The rest of the squad wasn't to keen on the fact that Mrs. Gunther made them attend every sporting event, but Donna viewed it as an excuse to watch her boyfriend show off. Even before she and Harvey started dating, she always enjoyed getting to watch her best friend in his element. _

_She drops her gold pom-poms into her lap to wave to Gordon from her seat in the front row and he waves back with a wink. Harvey's dad never missed a single game, and she would always join him after the seventh inning, despite her teammates whining that she was ditching them. She and Gordon had always got along well, he always treated her like a daughter of his own and when she and Harvey started dating he was overjoyed, so she didn't mind the excess glares from her teammates when she went to join him in cheering for their Harvey. _

_Their team was absolutely destroying the visiting team, and by the top of the sixth, Harvey had already hit two home runs and was currently waiting on third base as the next player got ready to hit. She hopped down from her seat and banged on the fence near him, clinging to the top of the metal wiring with her fingers, her green cheer leading skirt drawing his immediate attention. _

_"Looking good out there, Specter" she whistles and he jogs over to the fence while his team mate got ready at the plate. _

_"Looking good out there, Paulsen" he smirks, leaning down, despite her already being up on her toes, and placing a kiss on her lips through the fencing. _

_"Shouldn't you be one the field, scoring me another run?" she flirts, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. _

_"You better get out here and celebrate it with me then" he winks before jogging back to third. She watches from beside the fence as his teammate sends to ball flying beyond second base and Harvey slides into home. He gets up and dusts off his pants before lifting up a single finger and motioning for her to join him. It was a simple point, nothing like winning the championship like they had the year prior, but she didn't care, she was bounding out from behind the fence the moment he called for her._

_Running towards where he stands near the dug-out she tosses her arms around his neck as he lifts her feet off the dirt and twirls her around with a kiss. Placing her back on the ground, he places a second kiss into her hair as he whispers, "You know every point I score is for you, right?" _

_"Ms Paulsen, what did I say about coming on the field?" the coach calls from behind her. _

_"Sorry coach, I was just leaving" she giggles and squeezes his hand before skipping off the diamond and rejoining her teammates. _

_"God, could you two be any more in love, gross" one of her teammates rolls her eyes in disgust but Donna ignores her, knowing the girl was just jealous. What she and Harvey had was special, and everyone who ridiculed them was only envious of the bond they shared. _

_After the game, Harvey meets her and Gordon at Gordon's car, bag slung over his shoulder, his sandy hair a total mess. _

_"Good game son" his father pats him on the back, "Donna was just telling me how badly she wanted a milkshake, what do you stay we stop on the way home?" _

_"But, you never want to stop for shakes?"_

_"What can I say, she has a way with words" Gordon shrugs, rounding the car to get in the driver's seat. With Harvey's car being repaired, Gordon had kindly offered to drive him to and from games, a ride Donna usually shared with them. Usually, he and Donna would go grab something to eat after a game before he would sneak into her room once her parents went to bed, but tonight, for some reason, milkshakes with the girl he loved and his dad sounded ideal. _

_"You're a wizard, you know that? Convincing people to do things could be your superpower" he turns to her and opens the back door for her. _

_"Hmmm, let's test that theory, shall we?" _

_"How do you suppose we do that?" _

_"Kiss me" _

_He doesn't need to be told twice, it's a PG kiss, with his father mere feet away but it still makes her heart swoon, his hands folding around her waist as he pulls her into him. _

_"I guess it works" she whispers._

_"I think we should test it out some more later, and maybe some more after that once I get my own car back" he smirks, climbing in the car after her._

_._

_._

**Brooklyn 2013 **

"Alright boys, let's get in line" Harvey says and they follow his lead and line up to enter the shark tunnel. Jason and Gordon detailed the entire walk from where they had lunch to the tunnel with how excited they were to have sharks swim on top of them, so much so that Donna and Harvey hadn't been able to get a single word in.

Harvey noticed a few people eyeing Donna as they passed by the line and it occurred to him that in a public place like this, she was likely to be recognized, she was about to star in a production after all. Sure enough, as soon as the thought popped into his mind, two young girls approached her and asked for her autograph, a request she gladly accepted.

"Does that happen often?" he asks with a grin, unbelievably proud of how far she'd come.

"That was the first time" she answers, slightly stunned.

"Better get used to it, I hear that the stars of the most anticipated show on Broadway get recognized a lot"

"I doubt my show is that highly anticipated" she rolls her eyes at him and the line begins to shuffle forward.

"Donna, there was a sign for it in the bathroom"

"You're kidding?"

"How do you think I know what show you're staring in, you hadn't told me" he explains and she realizes he was telling the truth.

"I'm proud of you" he practically whispers, eyes finding hers and holding her gaze as she processes his words. He recognizes the look that flashes across her face from their younger days, one that she used to wear when he would tell her she was going to change the world one day. On the days where she doubted herself most, and he told her he had faith in her, she would look at him this way, eyes pooling with adoration and thanks.

"Thank you" she replies in an equally hushed tone, eyes still trained in his.

The moment is broken when the line begins to move once again, and they get to enter the tunnel. The glass tunnel is filled with sea creatures, an assortment of tropical fish swimming beside them as they begin to walk down the path. The boy's eyes dart frantically from one fish to the next, pointing at a bright blue fish that swims over head, eyes peeled for sharks.

When they spot one, laying on the top of the tunnel, Gordon gets excited while Jason suddenly goes quiet and holds on to Donna's leg.

"What's wrong buddy?" Donna asks her son, who is clutching onto her leg and avoiding the area with the shark.

Harvey sees what's going on and notices that Donna is shocked with Jason's sudden fear and has an idea, pulling them all out of the line and off to the side of the tunnel where the shark was resting.

"Hey buddy" he squats down so he's at eye level with the redheaded boy, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure" he replies, fingers still latched on to Donna's leg.

"I'm a little bit afraid of the shark and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to look at it with me?"

"I don't know" Jason replies quietly, slowly releasing his hold on his moms' leg as Harvey continues to talk.

"You're afraid too?" he adds, peering up at Harvey, surprised that an adult was afraid.

"Tell you what, what if you stand with me while I pick Gordon up and you can see that the shark isn't that scary? Then if you want you can have a turn, okay?"

Jason nods his head and steps out from behind Donna, stepping right next to Harvey as he scoops Gordon up and places him on his shoulders so he can get a closer look at the shark. Donna watches as her son steps closer to Harvey's side, Harvey's hand reaching down to pat him on the shoulder and reassure him while Gordon giggled and smiled down at his friend to show him there was nothing to be afraid of.

"What do we think buddy? Do you want a closer look?"

"Okay."

Harvey places his son back on the ground and scoops Jason up, placing him on his shoulders so he can get a better look. She can tell he's hesitant at first, but once he sees the shark moving, he relaxes and begins to enjoy himself. She watches the scene unfold, Harvey giving to boys turns sitting on his shoulders while they all laugh about the joke he tells about sharks not being able to tell time, Jason laughing along and much more relaxed than he'd been ten minutes before. She catches the wrinkle beside his eyes as he laughs, something that always reminded her of his laugh and she can't help herself from smiling, the scene before her so domestically wholesome she nearly forgets it's not real. Harvey met her son for the first time that morning and yet he could already read the kid, something he'd always been good at doing when it came to her emotions and she knew the apple did not fall far from the tree.

The group spent the rest of the afternoon in the shark tunnel, the boys eager to show Harvey every new shark they spotted, while Donna followed along encouraging them. It was strange to see Jason so willing to be open with Harvey, aside from Rachel her kids didn't usually take well to new adults, but Jason stuck by Harvey's side for the rest of the afternoon.

Once they boarded the bus to head back to the school, both boys were spent, Jason falling asleep on Donna's lap and Gordon on Harvey's the moment the bus left the parking lot. The ride back to the school is filled with small talk about the day, detailed with a few tales from their college days and work lives, but nothing about high school is mentioned.

Donna wakes Jason once they arrive at the school and helps him into the car where he immediately goes back to sleep, much like Gordon who is fast asleep in the back seat of Harvey's car.

Before he can pull out of the lot, there's a knock on his window and he finds her standing there, arms pulling her sweater closer to her body to cut the wind from seeping through.

"I just wanted to thank you, for what you did for Jason today. He's a really shy kid and I appreciate it" she thanks him.

"Anytime, Donna" he answers with a smile and she turns to head back towards her car.

"Hey Donna?" he calls after her and she stops in her tracks, the question in his voice enough to peak her curiosity.

"Maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

"I'd like that."

.

.

**Boston, 1993**

**The Night Before Senior Year Begins **

_"Maybe I'll see you around sometime? Seriously? That was how the dude hit on you?" _

_"Are you saying you could've done something smoother?" she teases, kicking her legs up onto the couch and into his lap. _

_"I know I would've used a better line than that" he scoffs, fiddling with the laces on her converse. _

_"I don't know, I've seen your flirting skills and they could use some work" she fires back. _

_"That's not what you were saying at Andrew Stales party the other night!" _

_Her faces pales and she drops her feet from his lap and sits up, pulling her hair back away from her face. They were lounging on the couch in her living room, as they usually did on a Sunday afternoon, but it was only the second time they'd seen each other that week; a rarity in their relationship seeing as they usually saw each other daily. They didn't talk for nearly four days after that party, and when they finally did it was to agree that they should put it out of their minds and never bring it up again. Well, that is until he brought it up._

_"I thought we weren't talking about that?" she says, pretending that something on the floor had her attention as the muttered words left her lips, afraid she'd be able to read his face too well before he responded. _

_"What if… what if I want to talk about it?" he asks, placing a hand on her knee and forcing her to face him. _

_"Why? We both know it was a mistake, we just got caught up in the moment. We didn't feel anything. Case closed!" she rants, getting up and pacing along the side of the couch. _

_"Donna…"_

_"What?" she snaps, finally turning to look at him and seeing it written all over his face; he felt something. One of Donna's talents was that she could read people better than anyone, a talent that often drove Harvey crazy, but in this instance, she was considering her talent to be less of a blessing and more of a curse. _

_"Oh my god, you felt something didn't you?" _

_"Are you telling me you didn't?" he asks, getting up and marching towards where she's leaned against the back of the sofa._

_He stops a few feet away and studies her, arms folded across her chest, her expression clearly guarded and he knew, she was scared, which only meant one thing, she must have felt it to. _

_"We shouldn't be having this conversation" she reasons, refusing to meet his gaze. _

_"I want to have this conversation" he tosses back, taking a step towards her and reaching for her chin, lifting her face so that her troubled eyes find his. _

_Taking a deep breath, he wills himself to tell her what he's wanted to say for years, what he's denied himself from feeling time and time again but after that kiss, he can't pretend he doesn't feel it anymore. That she doesn't fill every crease of his mind, consume his thoughts and keep him up at night. He can't keep pretending he doesn't look at her THAT way, when he had been looking at her THAT way for a long time now. _

_"Donna… What I felt when I kissed you, I've been feeling it for a while now, and I would be lying if I said I didn't want to kiss you again" he says in a hurry, worried she'll turn away but her eyes stay fixed on his, her expression softening. _

_"Why?"_

_"Why what?" _

_"Why are you telling me all this?" _

_"Because, Donna, I'm in love with you. And I know it isn't fair for me to say that, because I would never want to jeopardize our friendship, but I can't keep pretending that I'm not. I'm in love with you Donna Paulsen and if you'd let me, I'd really like to kiss you again."_

_A small smile curls upward on her lips and she closes the distance between them, the backs of her hands skimming his palms and he cautiously takes her left hand in his, trying to read her expression. He's reassured when she follows his lead and intertwines their fingers, her chest brushing his with every breath she takes and he finds himself struggling to calm his racing heart. _

_"What if this ruins everything?" she whispers._

_"I think it's worth the risk" he whispers back, afraid to move and break the contact between them. _

_"Then say it again…" she breathes. _

_"Donna, I love you, like a lot more than a best friend…"_

_Her lips cut him off, leaning up on her toes, she closes the gap between them with a kiss. It's slow at first, both unsure and charting unfamiliar waters but he quickly takes the lead and his hands encircle her waist and draw her even closer, his tongue pushing past her lower lip and seeking hers out. Her hands find the baby hairs on the nape of his neck and he practically moans into the kiss. When they finally part for air, she rests her nose against his and whispers, _

_"I think I love you too"_

_"You think?" _

_"I'm processing" she smirks, grateful that he's still able to joke around with her, "Harvey, I love you too." _

_He leans down and kisses her again, reveling in how great it feels to have finally told her how he felt, the feeling of her lips on his the most natural, electric feeling he has ever felt. _

_"Does this mean we're…?"_

_"Do you want to be?"_

_"Yes" she smiles, reaching up and placing a small peck on his lips. _

_"So, you're my girlfriend now…" he thinks out loud and her cheeks turn a deep shade of rose. _

_"Lucky you" she winks, pulling him back down towards her and kissing him once again. _

.

.

**Upper West Side, 2013 **

"Wow something smells good in here" Donna calls out as she opens the door and smell of pizza wafts into her nose.

"We're making a homemade pizza!" Amelia exclaims as she runs down the hall to greet her mother.

"Are we now?" Donna smirks and scoops her daughter up for a hug.

"Auntie Rachel I got to see a real live shark!" Jason yells as he beelines for the kitchen to tell Rachel all about his day at the aquarium.

"No way?! A real shark? And you weren't afraid?" Rachel beams down at her god son as she sprinkles some cheese onto the pizza she's preparing for dinner.

"I was afraid at first, but then Harvey put me on his shoulders so I could get closer and it wasn't scary anymore" Jason continues, hardly pausing to take a breath between his sentences, the excitement bubbling from within showing itself as he seats himself at the table.

"Harvey?" Rachel asks casually as Amelia joins her brother at the table and Donna begins to fish around in the fridge for a bottle of water.

"Yeah, my friend Gordon's dad," Jason begins to explain and Rachel's eyes dart to where Donna is still hiding behind the fridge door.

"They spent the whole day with me and mom and it was awesome! I'm going to see if maybe he can come over for a play date sometime."

Donna reluctantly shuts the fridge door and turns to face her best friend, who is staring at her wearing an expression that combines confusion, concern and question.

"Harvey?" Rachel mouths to Donna but Donna ignores her and moves to set the table.

She spends the rest of the dinner avoiding the penetrating gaze Rachel keeps tossing in her direction and listening to the stories about Amelia's day at school and about Jason's favourite part of his field trip. She knows as soon as the kids are out of earshot, Rachel's going to ask her if it was that Harvey, _her _Harvey, but she knew there was no point in lying now that the cat was out of the bag. She was grateful Rachel knew better than to bring it up with her kids around, since Amelia was quite observant, and she wasn't in the mood to answer the million questions that would follow them finding out she was once friends with "Gordon's dad."

Once the table is cleared and the kids are off in their rooms, Rachel turns to face Donna who is scrubbing at a plate that is already clean.

"There is only one Harvey I know that would name his son Gordon, is there something you'd like to share?" she asks sarcastically, placing a hand on her hip for dramatic effect and to an onlooker it would appear as though Rachel was Donna's mother, waiting for her to come clean about breaking curfew.

"I didn't think I would run into him again, but it turns out our sons are friends" she shrugs, soapy hands flinging suds across the counter.

"Okay go back. I have so many questions about every part of that sentence. Run into him again?"

"I saw him when I went to the parent-teacher thing last week…"

"You ran into Harvey Specter last week and you're only telling me now?!" Rachel says louder than intended and Donna shushes her.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to make a big deal about it" Donna rolls her eyes slightly as if to prove her own point and Rachel shrugs with a soft "What?"

"Wasn't it a big deal? I mean you haven't seen him in what…. Twenty years? Not since…"

"Yes" Donna cuts her off.

"He's married?"

"Widowed"

"He has kids?"

"A son"

"And?"

"And what?" Donna stares back at her blankly.

"Common Donna. You and Harvey Specter were the most hot and heavy couple I've ever seen in my life and you're trying to tell me seeing him after all these years wasn't weird?"

"It was weird, it's just today was actually…nice"

"Oh no, you are not falling for him again" Rachel whines and Donna immediately jumps in and defends herself.

"Relax. No one is falling for anyone. I'm just saying it was nice to catch up after all these years. He's a professor now, moved to the city about six years ago and Gordon absolutely adores him. You know it's weird, his son may be quieter than Jason and it's so sweet to see that they get along. He finally found another kid to play with Rach, what was I supposed to do, separate them all day while avoiding him? Were all mature adults, I think we can handle some small talk."

"Alright, alright, just one more question and I'll drop it. Is he still incredibly handsome?"

"I'm not answering that" Donna replies, grabbing Rachel's coat and leading her towards the door.

"On a scale of 1 to I would go home with this guy if I met him at a bar, what would you say he looks like now?" Rachel smirks, taking her jacket from Donna's arm and tossing it over her shoulder as Donna flings the front door open.

"Wow, no answering and shooing me onto the front porch he must have somehow gotten even more attractive. I bet he's a hot dad!" she calls as she steps outside, and Donna leans against the door frame.

"Goodnight Rach" she sings, sending her friend an innocent smile.

"Are we still on for girl's night tomorrow?" Rachel calls behind the almost closed door.

"If you behave!" Donna calls back before closing the door and heading to prepare lunches for the next day.

.

.

**Upper West Side, 2013**

"Dark roast, two sugars, splash of vanilla!" the barista calls.

Before she can grab her cup off the counter, another hand swoops in and grabs it. She follows the hand up to a Cheshire cat grin beneath a baseball cap and shakes her head.

"We have got to stop meeting like this" she chuckles, swallowing hard when she takes in the white form fitting v-neck and dark jeans he was wearing.

"With you trying to steal my coffee? I'd say so" he flirts, gesturing towards the second identical coffee that was placed down on the bar beside her that read _Donna_ along the side.

"You order your coffee with vanilla?" she challenges, moving to grab a lid for her drink and passing one to Harvey for his.

"Old habits die hard I guess" he replies and she flushes, knowing she was the one to introduce him to vanilla in coffee, back in the summer of 93.

"What brings you to this side of town?" she asks

"This place has the best coffee in the city. And I'm hiding from my students while I do some marking" he shrugs, holding up a folder filled with what she assumed were term papers.

"What about you?"

"Just grabbing a coffee before I go meet Rachel."

"Do you want to join me?" he gestures towards a vacant table, "Only if you have time…"

"Um, sure" she says, placing her bag on the back of the chair and plops herself in the seat across from him.

She was glad she'd changed into something more casual after rehearsal, her jeans and beige tank top much more comfortable than the black dress she was in earlier. She had her hair in loose curls that hung over her shoulder and her lips painted a pale shade of pink, a perfect casual combination. She was supposed to be meeting Rachel for a girl's night in a half hour across town, but she figured she could spare a few minutes to talk to him without any kids around to interrupt.

"Jason could not stop talking about the sharks, you really made his day" she tells him, unaware of why she just brought up one of her kids when she was just focused on a kid-free conversation.

"He's a great kid, reminds me a lot of you"

"How so?"

"He's dedicated to what he's passionate about. Just like you used to be doing all those school productions."

"Harvey" she responds, in not a questioning or a scolding tone, but rather a reminiscent one. This was the first time either of them had mentioned something from their high school days since they first ran into each other, and it brought a wave of nostalgia over them both.

"I meant it when I used to tell you I knew you'd make it one day" he offers her a timid smile before taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Thank you, for always having faith in me" she smiles back, following his lead and reaching for her own cup.

"Thank you for being worth it."

"So, ethics papers, huh?" she asks, trying to change the subject and tread on lighter, more recent events.

"Unfortunately, they aren't going to mark themselves" he chuckles, "Though it looks like lost my pen so they may end up not marked at all."

"Here," she says, fishing around in her purse and pulling out a blue, four-coloured Bic pen, "Borrow mine."

"You still use one of these?" he laughs, thinking back to the way she used to colour-code her notes with her trademark four-coloured pen.

"I'll have you know those are the most practically pens you can buy!"

"When you're sixteen…"

"Fine," she reaches for the pen she placed in front of him, "Try marking your papers now."

"I take it back," he holds his palms up in a surrender, "Leave the pen!"

"Only if you admit that it's the superior pen" she challenges.

"Fine you win. It's the superior pen."

"Thank you" she says with a pop, tossing the pen back down on the table, her jaw sore from how wide she's smiling. She can't remember the last time she'd felt so at ease when talking to anyone, but it was nice to see that things hadn't changed much between them. They were still Harvey and Donna, the over-imaginative redhead and the jock who could make her laugh.

"Do you like being a professor?" she asks, finishing the rest of her coffee.

"Honestly, I love it. I never thought it was for me but getting to have such an important part in kids lives, it's something special."

"If you could do it all over again, would you have gone down that road from the start?"

"Not a chance, my brief time in law school was the time of my life, I made some of my best friends there, and they definitely had the best parties" he laughs.

"What was the wildest thing you ever did at a party?"

"The wildest? Well, there was this one time… wait, how do I know you aren't going to use this as blackmail material?"

"Who say's we're even going to run into each other after today?" she jokes, not noticing his face fall at her words.

"Well, I hope we do" he blushes, "I mean, if you'd want that?"

"I can't see why I wouldn't" she responds with a genuine smile. It was weird, that she didn't find this weird. Talking to him it was like no time had passed, they fell into a natural rhythm and she was finding it easy to be herself around him.

"What about you little miss drama school, what's the wildest thing you ever did?"

"Well that is more of a story to be told over alcoholic beverages" she winks with a small giggle.

Her wink sends him back decades prior and suddenly he's a seventeen year old kid, sitting across from her as she giggled about the way his milkshake spilt across his shirt, her red curls tossed back in a messy up do, her freckles in their prime thanks to the sunny afternoon they spent in the park. Sitting in the old diner across the street from his house, he watches as her laugh makes her eyes squint and her nose flair. Only it wasn't the seventeen-year-old girl he had a secret crush on seated across from him, it was a grown-up version, flaring her nostrils and squinting her eyes in a way he knew all too well. And somehow, he found himself in the same position he was in all those years ago, watching her laugh and knowing he was already too far gone.

"That could always be arranged you know" his lips curl into a devilish grin. He knows he's playing a dangerous game, treading the fine line between normal and making things awkward but he figures he should shoot his shot while he had the chance.

Her phone rings before she has the chance to reply and fishing it out of her bag, she notices she has four missed calls from Rachel. She answer's the incoming call with a rushed "Hello" and explains she's on her way and that she's sorry she's running late. She sends a quick message to the babysitter to check on the kids and drops her phone back into her purse, looking across the table at him with an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, I really have to go, but this has been really nice."

"We should do it again sometime. Maybe over drinks so you can tell me that story?" he asks, quickly adding, "As friends, of course."

"I'd love to" she says, placing a hand on his shoulder before excusing herself from the coffee shop and heading back to where she parked her car.

.

.

**Upper West Side, 2013 **

"I know I'm late, I'm sorry!" Donna calls as she let's herself into Rachel's apartment, bottle of wine in hand.

"At least you knew well enough not to come empty handed!" Rachel reaches for the bottle of Rose and pours them both a glass.

"Grab that, would you?" Rachel gestures to the cheese plate she'd prepared and makes her way to the living room with the two wine glasses in hand. Following close behind, Donna places the cheese tray down on thee table and flops onto the couch, tossing on of the throw pillows in her lap to hug.

"Long rehearsal, I can't believe you guys ran that late?"

"Well…"

"Here it comes… rehearsal didn't run late, did it?" Rachel asks, joining her best friend on the couch and cradling her wine glass in her lap as she turns her glare towards Donna.

"I may have bumped in Harvey at a coffee shop on my way home. But in my defense, I didn't plan on staying to chat, I was just going to run on for a coffee and leave!"

"You almost blew me off for a coffee date with your ex-boyfriend?"

"Ugh, Rach, can we not call him that? That was ages ago?"

"And yet, suddenly it seems relevant again. Look Donna, you know I love you and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt Rachel. Besides, we're just friends. He even asked if I wanted to catch up over drinks, as friends. He said those exact words" Donna explains, sinking back into the sofa as she rambled on about her afternoon conversation with Harvey.

"What do you want to gain out of seeing him?" Rachel asks.

"Maybe we can be friends?"

"Can two people who used to be in love be friends? It was high school Donna, I know that's not real love, it's puppy love…"

Donna looks down at where she's picking at the nail polish on her thumb nail before sheepishly, she looks up finally and she knows Rachel can read her face.

"Unless, it wasn't?"

"It's been twenty years, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's not like either of us still have those feelings," Donna says, not sure if she's trying to convince Rachel or herself. She knows that she's not only speaking for herself when she tells Rachel what her and Harvey had was not puppy love. She knows they were young, but their love was passionate. It was raw and unfiltered and unlike anything she'd ever experienced, even to this day.

"Exactly. It's in the past. I'm sure you two will be able to be casual friends" Rachel agrees, rather unconvincingly but Donna lets it slide and they begin watching a movie while working through the bottle of wine.

.

.

**Boston, 1993**

**A Week Before Senior Year Starts (4 Days Pre-Relationship)**

_"Easier Specter, it's not like she's your girlfriend"_

_"You're right she's not, but she's my best friend so you can either back the hell off, or I'll make you back off. Got it?" _

_The shorter blonde male nodded to show Harvey he understood and mumbled an apology to Donna before scampering off to the opposite side of the party, terrified of what Harvey would do if he caught him talking to Donna again. _

_"What an ass" Harvey rolls his eyes after the kid was out of his sight, tossing his arm around Donna's shoulder, "If he bothers you again, I'll kick his ass."_

_"Thanks Harvey" she leans in for a side hug before he releases his hold on her. _

_Mason, the blonde Harvey just frightened had been trying to hook up with her the entire evening, and while she normally would fight her own battles, she was tipsy and annoyed and decided it would be easier for Harvey to help her out. She tended to avoid asking for his help in situations like this, seeing as the kids in their grade already assumed the pair was an item, having Harvey scare other boys off typically added fuel to the fire. _

_"What do you say we grab a drink?" he asks, linking his arm through hers and leading them towards the fridge where his beers were stored. He opens a bottle for her before retrieving his own out of the fridge when one of the party-goers, a girl named Daphne turned to Donna. _

_"You two are soooooo cuteee" she slurred, clearly already drunk out of her mind despite it hardly being 11pm. _

_"Oh, we're not together" she explained, gesturing between Harvey and herself._

_"Yeah, right" the girl laughs before stumbling out of the kitchen into the other room._

_"That never gets old, does it?" he chuckles, raising his bottle to tap against hers before they both take a large swig. _

_"It's like these people have never seen a guy and a girl who were just friends before" she laughs before waving to some girls she knew and heading over to join them. _

_Right, he thinks to himself, friends, just friends. _

_Later in the evening they both find themselves in the backyard, Harvey chatting with some boys on the baseball team and Donna standing next to his group talking to a boy in their English class named Damion._

_"Careful Damion, get any closer and Specter might give you a black eye!" the party host Trevor calls from across the lawn, Harvey's head snapping in his direction when he hears his name. _

_Donna's eyes find Harvey's before she looks towards Trevor and she silently pleads for him to let her fight her own battle, a plea he gladly obliges and follows along with. _

_"Wait, I thought you two weren't dating?" Damion stares between them, confused. _

_"We're not!" They cry in unison, Donna's face painted with annoyance that she was going over this for the second time in one evening. _

_"Please, you to are the only two that don't see it, aren't you?" Trevor asks._

_"See what?" Donna asks, her voice heavy with an annoyed tone._

_"You get extremely jealous and protective of each other" he continues to explain, both of their stares fixed on him as he spoke._

_"We do not!" Harvey jumps in and protests the accusation. _

_"Give me a break! You practically jumped at the chance to scare Mason off earlier, and don't get me started on how pouty you get whenever she leaves with someone that isn't you!"_

_"Common Trevor, that's enough" Donna tries to help but Trevor is on a role._

_"Don't think you're innocent in all this, you do the same thing. Always becoming extra touchy when another girl flirts with him, pretending it doesn't bother you when he kisses other girls but we all know you were ready to fight Pamela Jackson when she kissed Harvey during that game of spin the bottle a few months back, and you weren't even playing! When are you two going to open your eyes and see what's right in front of you?" _

_"I think you've had too much to drink Trevor, Donna and I, were just friends" Harvey pats him on the shoulder and excuses himself to fetch another beer. Trevor had a point, and he knew it. He'd known how he felt about her for a while now, he just hadn't realized his jealousy was so obvious. He's so lost in thought, he hardly hears her come in and it isn't until she clears her throat that he turns around and spots her standing behind him. _

_"Hey, are you stalking me now?" he teases, popping the cap off of his beer and offering her the first sip, an offer she gladly accepts. _

_"Sorry about Trevor, he was being a tool. Are we okay?" he apologizes leaning back against the cupboards while she leans against the island in the center of the kitchen. _

_"Why wouldn't we be?" _

_"Just thought I'd check. Just so you know, I know you don't get jealous" he adds, accidentally knocking a glass of water over and soaking the counter top beside him. _

_"For the record, I know you don't either." _

_He looks around for napkins and spots a pile behind her. _

_"Good. Because I'd be lost without you as my best friend" he smiles down at her before placing himself directly in front of her and leaning over her shoulder to grab the pile of napkins. His breath tickles her ear as he speaks and her breath hitches in her throat as his chest briefly brushes against her own. He senses her sudden stiffness and freezes, suddenly hyper aware of how closely their bodies are pressed together. He grabs the napkins and pulls them back slowly, but he can't bring himself to step away from her, his body suddenly desperate for more contact. Every nerve in her body comes alive and suddenly, it's as though time is moving slower. _

_Next thing he knows, he's dropped the napkins back in their initial spot and he places his left hand on the counter beside her hip, trapping her between the counter and his body. _

_"Harvey-" she whispers and he pulls back from his place above her ear to meet her stare, her eyes pooling with lust and he hesitates before speaking. He can't tell if her words are a warning or a plea, but he's answered when her palm comes to rest flat on his chest and he closes the distance between them with a desperate, sloppy kiss. Her hands are weaving through his hair as her tongue slips past his and a soft moan escapes her lips. His hands greedily roaming her body, grazing her bare shoulders, pulling through her hair and settling on her ass, where he hoists her onto the counter and finds a place between her legs. _

_Their kisses a messy, sloppy and desperate, fueled by desire. When they finally part for air, he begins to place kisses down her neck, stopping every so often to nibble on her skin, her legs wrapped around him, urging him closer. She can feel his bulge against her as she rakes her fingers down his back, wishing they were anywhere but here so she could remove the layers of clothing keeping them apart. _

_The sound of a car horn blaring causes them to dart apart, Donna sitting awkwardly on the counter as she adjusted the top Harvey managed to half remove, and Harvey on the opposite side of the kitchen wiping the lipstick from his lips as he fixes his belt. _

_"Hey man, you're brother's here!" someone calls into the kitchen at Harvey._

_"Do you want a ride?" he asks and she nods, following him to Marcus' car without saying another word._

_"Give me a minute?" Harvey asks Marcus before following Donna to her door. The car ride had been filled with awkward silence and small talk and he knew he couldn't let her leave without saying something about what happened at the party. _

_"Donna, wait!"_

_"I'm pretty tired Harvey, what is it?"_

_"Are we going to talk about what happened back there?"_

_He was pretty hopeful that the conversation they were about to have would give him a chance to tell her how he really felt, but rather the words that leave her lips leave him deflated. _

_"What is there to talk about? We had a momentary lapse in judgement. You said it yourself, we're best friends. So, let's just put it out of our minds and pretend it never happened, okay?" _

_"Yeah… right… out of our minds, like it never happened."_

_"Goodnight Harvey" she smiles before opening the door and closing it behind her, leaving him alone and confused on her front porch. He could have sworn she was about to talk about the way that kiss made her feel, because he'd never felt anything like the way he just felt kissing her. Maybe she wasn't into him after all, if she really didn't feel anything, he would be best to move on. Trudging back to Marcus's car he hops in the front seat and buckles up his seat belt. _

_"Do you want to talk about it?" his brother asks._

_"There's nothing to talk about" he sighs, looking out the window as the back out of her driveway._

_On the other side of the door, Donna sinks down with her head in her hands, confused at all of the emotions filling her head. She made out with her best friend tonight, and it made her feel things she didn't know were possible. Sure, she had a crush on Harvey, but she'd convinced herself they were better off as friends because he didn't see her that way. After the way he kissed her back there, she was questioning if maybe he did see her that way, the way she saw him. But even if he did, was it worth risking their entire friendship?_

_._

_._

**Upper West Side, 2013**

Sitting on Rachel's couch watching _The Ugly Truth, _Donna listened as Katherine Heigl droned on about why the perfect man didn't exist and she realized, she had nothing to worry about. Sure, she'd run into Harvey a few times and yes, they hit it off just like old times, but who was to say he was even looking for something more? What if all he wanted was a second chance at the friendship they obliterated years ago?

Maybe fate wasn't telling her to give him a second chance romantically, maybe fate was giving her a friend back. The least she could do was grab drinks with him, after all, what harm could it possibly do, right?

* * *

**Stay tuned for Part 3 because the fun is only just beginning!**


	3. Chapter 3

Well, we're finally here. The last part of the AU that has run away with a little piece of my heart. There are not enough words to express how much your support and kind words on this piece have meant to me, so thank you.

This part took me a while because well, when I decided to tackle this story, I saw it so clearly in my head and putting that into words in a way I was happy with took a bit, but I hope it was worth the wait.

As always, I need to thank my beta May ( darveyscactus), not only for editing but for collaborating on so many pieces of this, at this point, I'm not even sure how many of these ideas are my own and I'm forever grateful for our writing brainstorming sessions. Everyone please thank her for not only editing this lengthy piece as I added chunks at all hours of the night, but for adding periods to my sentences (because let's face it, I never do) and for helping to make this a story I am really proud of, because at this point I'm considering her a co-author!

As always, Happy Reading - xxS

_Warning: This fanfiction contains scenes containing mature sexual content, reader discretion is advised. _

* * *

**Part 3**

**Connecticut, 1997**

**Yale Senior's Goodbye Party**

_"Alright Rach but after you get his number we're out of here, deal?"_

_"Deal," Rachel flashes her best friend an innocent grin and weaves her way through the crowded dorm room at the Senior Goodbye party they were attending at Yale. They weren't exactly invited to the party, but Donna was going to be attending Yale for grad school the following year and Rachel met some guy named Logan at a bar the night before and he told her to stop by. Donna resisted at first, claiming she would rather not spend her weekend driving all the way up to Connecticut, but eventually caved in to help Rachel get the "cute guy from the bar's" number. Besides, the boy she just started dating went to Yale, and he told her he would stop by the party._

_Trailing behind her best friend in her denim skirt and white cut-off t-shirt, she peers around at some of her future classmates. Over by the punch bowl she spots two blonde girls, clearly only at the party looking for male attention. Next to the door she spots a few guys setting up a keg and she squeezes herself through the small space into the kitchen, past a group of giggling girls. Rachel spots her mystery man and excuses herself to go see him, as Donna continues to weave her way through the packed apartment._

_Once alone in the kitchen, she seats herself at the table and draws in a deep breath. Normally, a party like this would be her scene, she would toss back a couple of drinks and work the room, but tonight she felt out of sorts and was ready to be anywhere but here. She's busy deleting old messages off her cell phone when a pretty brunette stumbles in, slightly shorter than Donna, wearing a pink summer dress while her hair was curled and hanging over her shoulder._

_"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here. Just wanted to grab a drink" she motions to the fridge and retrieves a beer out of it._

_"No worries, you weren't interrupting" Donna smiles and the girl reaches out to shake her hand and introduce herself, "Dana Scott"_

_"Donna Paulsen"_

_"Nice to meet you Donna, enjoy the party," Dana says before leaving the kitchen with two beers in hand._

_"Babe! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you two!" her boyfriend Matthew calls from the entrance to the kitchen._

_"Hey!" she beams, bounding out of her chair and over to where he's holding up a beer for her._

_"You made it" she adds, bringing herself up onto her toes to place a kiss on his lips._

_"You think I would miss spending time with my girl? I would never," he scoffs, his hand settling on her waist._

_"Hey Donna," Rachel calls as she stumbles into the kitchen pulling a dark-haired man behind her, "Logan and I were going to get out of here so don't wait around," she giggles, turning back to make eyes at the mysterious Logan from the bar._

_"Alright. I think we're going to head out and grab something to eat," Donna tells an already preoccupied Rachel, though she's not sure Rachel hears her seeing as her lips had already found Logan's._

_Excusing themselves, Donna and Matthew leave to party hand in hand to go find something to eat. On her way out she notices the host had the weirdest, most terrifying duck painting hung next to the door and she shakes her head, thinking that some people should not be allowed to decorate._

_._

_"To senior year!"_

_"To senior year!" Harvey raises his bottle and clinks it with a few of his fellow classmates before taking a long sip after locking eyes with her._

_He and Dana Scott had had an on again off again relationship for the past year and, based on the little pink summer dress and the devilish grin she was flashing in his direction, he could tell that tonight they were going to be very much on again._

_His intuition was right because a mere twenty minutes later he had her trapped between his body and the wall in the foyer and was itching to get her out of here so he could take that dress off her. His wishes were granted when she takes his hand and guides him to the door, and after fiddling to put her shoes on tells him to wait where he is while she grabs her purse._

_He's admiring the interesting artwork that Logan had hung in his hall, featuring some sort of duck, when Logan bumps into him on his way upstairs, a young brunette wrapped around his arms. The brunette stops giggling and steps back when she spots him and the two of them stand there frozen as realization washes over both of their faces._

_"Rachel?"_

_"Harvey?"_

_"What are you doing here?" he stares back in disbelief._

_"I was about to ask you the same question," she tosses back, suddenly grateful that Donna was long gone without having seen him, or at least she hopes without having seen him. Things were going so well with this new guy, the last thing Rachel needed was Harvey Specter waltzing back into Donna's life to ruin that._

_"Wait, you two know each other?" Logan asks, staring back and forth between them._

_'We went to school together," Rachel rushes to explain, not knowing what to do or say next and waiting for him to excuse himself from the conversation._

_"Who are you here with?" he asks, but all she hears is "Where is she?"_

_"No one. Just Logan" she lies and watches as his face falls._

_"It was good to see you Harvey," she offers him a small smile before tugging Logan up the stairs behind her._

_"You ready to go?" Scottie asks, rejoining him with her purse tossed over her shoulder._

_'You know, I'm actually not feeling the greatest. I think I should head home" he mumbles and he's out the door before she can protest his excuse or ask him how she can help. He staggers down the hall back towards his own dorm room and walks straight to his bed, immediately laying down, his mind racing. Thoughts of her suddenly invaded his head space and for a moment, she's all her can see. Her freckles. Her flaming locks. He hadn't thought about Donna Paulsen in years, and one glance at her former best friend and he was drowning in a sea of feelings. God, he wonders what she's up to now? Was she happy? He briefly considered calling her, but decided against it. He hadn't spoken to her since the summer of 93, and he doesn't even know what he would say to her if she picked up, hell, he didn't even know if she still had the same number. There was no doubt in his mind that she was still as beautiful as ever, and for the first time since they last spoke, he fell asleep wanting to see Donna, craving to know how she'd been._

.

.

**Upper West Side, 2013**

"I have a confession to make," Rachel blurts as the two women lounge out in Donna's backyard with glasses of wine. They were enjoying the crisp fall weather while the kids were playing in the yard before Donna had to go back to a full week of work beginning the next day.

Donna raises an eyebrow at her and wills her to continue.

"Do you remember that party we went to at Yale? Back before you started there?"

"The party you dragged me to just so you could go get that guy's number, how could I forget!" Donna chuckles and takes a sip from her glass. In the distance Amelia giggles as her brother chases after her, both sporting fairy wings and she smiles, grateful they got along so well. Amelia had convinced her brother to spend the afternoon playing dress up with her, and Jason agreed as long as his firetrucks could watch from nearby. For years Amelia begged her for a baby sister, and for a while, she and Matthew considered trying for another little girl, but it just wasn't in the cards, at least not for them.

"I ran into Harvey after you left," Rachel admits. Donna takes a moment to process Rachel's words and folds her hands in her lap before speaking.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she replies in a near whisper.

"What was I supposed to say? Call you and say, 'Hey Don please come back to the party you were at with your boyfriend because your ex is here, and I think you two should catch up?'"

"You know what I mean…" Donna sighs, silently asking why she hadn't told her in the years that followed.

"I didn't think it mattered. You had moved on. You and Matthew were happy, and I didn't want to… _complicate_… things."

"Who says it would have complicated things?"

"Donna… how long did it take you to get over the man… and I'm still not convinced you ever truly did get over him! You and Matthew were just starting to really hit it off and for once I just wanted you to be happy. You two deserved a chance that wasn't jeopardized by old feelings coming up."

"Yeah, because that worked out so well…" she says with an eye roll. She knows Rachel has a point but that doesn't stop her from thinking about how different her life would've been if she'd run into him that night. Maybe fate really was giving them a second chance. After all, there were thousands of schools in this city, what were the chances their sons end up in the same class? It almost seemed serendipitous.

God, what was she doing? She told Rachel she was hoping to be friends with Harvey, but deep down she knew she was hoping for something more, that maybe the spark they once had was still there, waiting to be reignited.

"Hey, it did work out well, look at those beautiful kids. They're happy and healthy and look at you, about to have everything you've ever wanted," Rachel places a hand over Donna's forearm and flashes her a tender grin.

"When did you become the rational one?" Donna teases, draining the contents of her glass.

"I've always been the rational one when it comes to matters of the heart. Especially when those matters involve someone who's name rhymes with Scmarvey Smecter" she chuckles as Donna playfully swats at her arm.

"Sometimes the heart does things for reason that reason can not understand."

"Did you just quote some dead poet to me?"

"Maybe…"

"You really loved him, didn't you?"

"I really did…" she sighs, tucking her hair behind her ears and leaning forward to tuck her knees beneath her on the seat.

"Donna, as much as I would hate to see you get hurt again, do you still love him?"

"I don't even know him anymore…"

Rachel cocks her head and sighs, mirroring Donna's actions and tucking her own feet beneath her, pausing before she responds.

"Yes. I can see myself falling for him again, if that's what you're going to ask next," Donna responds before Rachel even has a chance to ask.

"God, it's so freaky when you do that. You hesitated, what's holding you back?"

"I just told you, it's been twenty years what if he's changed and I don't even know him anymore. We've spent on day together, that's hardly enough to get reacquainted. Besides, what if I've changed and he doesn't feel the same way, or worse, what if we really do hit it off and it all falls apart again?"

"What's the harm in seeing if that spark is still there?"

"You just told me yesterday you didn't want to see me get hurt… Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Maybe I decided you should listen to fate" Rachel justifies but is met with a pointed look from Donna.

"You don't believe in fate" Donna points out.

"What if I changed my mind?"

"Oh my god! You met someone!" Donna exclaims and Rachel blushes, her gaze falling on where Amelia and Jason were playing, avoiding Donna's questioning eyes.

"Rachel Zane, you met someone and you didn't tell me last night!"

"You ran into Harvey and didn't tell me right away!"

"Fair. Okay, spill. What's he like?"

"Well we ran into each other while jogging uptown. He has sandy blonde hair and the bluest eyes you've ever seen!" she squeals, "Oh, and he's a professor."

"You met this man jogging?" Donna laughs. She hadn't seen Rachel so excited about meeting a man since college and it was sweet to see how her best friends face light up as she described how she accidentally ran into him and they instantly hit it off.

"Do I get to meet this man?" Donna asks.

"Eventually, if all goes well," Rachel smiles back, happily sipping on her wine.

It falls silent for a moment, both women lost in thought as the cool afternoon breeze swept some fallen leaves across the yard. Fall was Donna's favourite time of year and she would never tire of the freshness the Autumn brought along with it.

"Donna?" Rachel calls her name, eyes still staring out of the yard as she spoke.

"For what it's worth, I think what you two had back then is worth the risk now."

"I don't even know if I'll see him again…"

"Well if you do, don't let him go this time."

.

.

**New York, 2013**

**Columbia**

"Mike" Harvey calls from the door of Mike's office, Mike too preoccupied staring at something outside his office window to notice Harvey's presence.

"Mike Ross" he tries again, this time a little louder, yet it's no help, Mike is still trapped in his daydream, staring out over the quad that's painted in the reds and oranges that accompany the fall weather.

"Mike" Harvey calls slamming his hand down in his co-workers' desk and startling him.

"Geez, do you have to be so aggressive, you couldn't have just called my name?"

"I have been calling it…" Harvey complains, pulling out the leather chair on the opposite side of Mike's desk and taking a seat.

"Did you catch the Sox game last night?" Harvey asks, placing his hands over his knee, his face littered with a youthful excitement that Mike can't seem to pinpoint.

"You came all the way to my office to ask me about the Sox game? Why couldn't you just ask me about it when we go for drinks tomorrow?"

"About that…" Harvey begins sheepishly, the real reason he came to seek Mike out suddenly the topic at hand.

"You're bailing on us, again?"

"I've only cancelled once in the past month!" Harvey protests.

"Twice, this will be the third time…What is it this time, another marking emergency?"

"A date."

Mike stares back at his friend, open-jawed and wide-eyed, not even attempting to hide his shock.

"I'm sorry, did you say a date? With a real woman?"

"A potential date…" he blushes. He considered keeping his plans to ask Donna out to himself, but he needed advice on how to ask her, and where to take her and asking Marcus didn't seem like an option after his reaction to the news of Donna resurfacing in Harvey's life.

"With that Donna girl?" Mike smirks.

"Yes, with that Donna girl…" Harvey resigns, grabbing a pen off Mike's desk and nervously twirling it through his fingers.

"Where are you taking her?"

"Well, I haven't exactly asked her yet…" he admits, sending the pen accidentally flying over his left hand and watching as it skids beneath Mike's desk.

"That's why you're here" Mike's eyes light up, he would recognize advice seeking Harvey any day. Despite being older, and a single parent, it wasn't rare that Harvey sought out Mike's advice for various life matters, but this was the first time since they'd met that Harvey was coming to him and asking for advice on women.

In the six years that they'd known each other, Mike had never once heard Harvey talk about taking a woman out. He'd learned early on in their friendship that the older man was widowed, but aside from that he knew little about his love life. Marcus had once told him that his brother didn't date, instead he liked to throw himself into work and dedicate his time to his son. So to have Harvey sitting across from him asking for advice on dating, was a tad bit shocking.

"You need my advice on how to ask a woman to dinner?" Mike snickers, hands coming up and folding into each other on the desk, as he attempts to imitate a scene from the Godfather, a movie he'd seen far too many times.

"It's not that simple… We… We have a history," Harvey explains.

"Alright, before I give you any advice, you need to tell me about her. How exactly do you two know each other?"

"We were best friends in high school," Harvey begins with a sigh, knowing that if he wants any useful advice out of Mike, he was going to have to tell him about his history with Donna.

Mike nods, willing Harvey to elaborate and continue as he leans back against his leather desk chair, enjoying watching his friend struggle to find the right words to describe the former relationship he had with this woman.

"We dated, in senior year, and things ended sort of, messy. I hadn't talked to her in twenty years but then I ran into her at the school and well, we chaperoned that field trip together and I guess I just… It felt like nothing had changed, like we were still those kids from twenty years ago, only we weren't. I was going to let it go at first, but then we ran into each other at this coffee shop uptown and I got to thinking, what if fate is giving me another chance? What if it was never supposed to work out back then because it was supposed to work out now? We're both adults now, we both have families, careers, but timing is everything and what if… what if this is my second chance at loving her."

"Wow. That is a lot of information to take in at once" Mike replies, his brow crinkled as he tried to process everything Harvey had just told him.

"Let me see if I understood this correctly, you're asking me how to ask out a woman you once dated twenty years ago?"

"Yes" Harvey nods, failing to see where Mike's confusion was coming from.

"Why can't you just call her and ask her to dinner?"

"It's not that simple. I don't even have her number. Besides, what if she doesn't think of me, that way, what if she just wants to be friends?"

"You said you were best friends before, right? How did you transition to something more back then?"

"It just kind of happened" Harvey confesses, his face riddled with exhaustion.

"This may not be what you want to hear but, if you run into her again, I would just ask her for dinner. The worst thing she can say is no."

"Where would I even take her if she agreed?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, huh?"

"Deal" Harvey replies, seeing himself to the door of Mike's office. Before he has a chance to leave, the sound of Mike's voice causes him to turn back around and step into the office again.

"Harvey?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you love her? This Donna?"

"With my whole heart," he answers with a sad smile.

"Then go get her," Mike grins and with that Harvey heads to his office to prepare for his afternoon class.

.

.

**Boston, 1993**

_"You and Harvey?!" Rachel squealed, nearly toppling off Donna's bed._

_"Yes" Donna rolls her eyes, she knew Rachel would make a big deal about her new relationship status, after all Rachel was always teasing her about Harvey being more than a friend and she was finally right. She hadn't told Rachel about the kiss they shared at the party, but after their conversation yesterday, and their decision to start dating, she spent the night filling her best friend in on all of the details, including the way Harvey kissed her at that party._

_"Harvey Specter?! The same 'We're just best friends' Harvey?" Rachel giggles, a massive smirk painted across her face as she continued to tease Donna._

_"Are you done?"_

_"I just can't believe you two finally sorted your shit out!"_

_"What is that supposed to mean?" Donna stares back at the brunette from where she's laying on the opposite end of her bed._

_"You two have been into each other since the ninth grade and you're the only two people who didn't see it" Rachel explains, "And you finally did!"_

_"You're ridiculous" Donna laughs, flipping onto her stomach and tossing her long curls over her shoulder._

_"So, how was it?" Rachel waggles her eyebrows at Donna and tosses in a saucy wink._

_"How was what?"_

_"Don't play little miss innocent, common" Rachel teases, holding up her fingers and slowly sliding them further apart with wide-eyes._

_"Don, I'm getting seriously concerned for you" she adds when Donna doesn't stop her from separating her fingers._

_"We haven't um… we haven't, yet," she explains, cheeks turning a deep rose colour._

_"Oh" Rachel responds._

_Donna was not quite as adventurous as Rachel was, and despite that intense make out she and Harvey had after making their relationship status official, they stopped once things became too heated. She'd never slept with anyone before and she knows that despite his jock status, he hadn't either and they both agreed they were in no rush, they wanted it to be special. That didn't stop him from getting to second base however, as they made out in his car that afternoon after his baseball practice._

_What amazed her the most was that their fast transition from friends to lovers didn't feel awkward. It felt like this is what they always should have been doing, and she can't believe they'd wasted three years before getting here._

_"Okay, tell me how it happened" Rachel gushes again, changing the subject._

_"Well, he kissed me, at that party last week"_

_"What kind of kiss? Are we talking innocent peck or like tongue down your throat?"_

_"Rachel!" Donna swats at her arm in mock horror but has to fight back the laugh threatening to escape her throat._

_"What? I need details!"_

_"There was tongue… He put me on the counter…" Donna blushes again as she recalls the way his muscles flexed as he scooped her up and placed her down on the counter. The way he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her close enough she could feel the bulge in his pants._

_"Shut up! He did not! That's so hot, go on…"_

_._

_._

**Upper West Side, 2013**

Pushing the cart down the aisle, she scanned the shelves for the little pink box she was searching for, Jason whining as he held on to his firetruck in one hand and the side of the cart with the other, following along. The poor kid had been stung by a bee at school and was allergic, so she'd picked him up early and brought him to the store so they could pick something up to help relieve some of the swelling.

It's Jason he spots first, his red hair catching his eye as he glides down the aisle on a mission to pick up milk before going home. He's clinging onto the side of the cart she's pushing, his eyes red-rimmed from what he assumes were tears as he follows her down the medicine aisle. In the brief glimpse he gets of her, he notices her hair tucked behind her ears beneath a red beret type hat, her white long sleeve covered by a sleek navy vest, her jeans tucked into her brown riding boots.

Jason spots Harvey almost immediately after he notices them, and he waves to the small boy from down the aisle.

"Harvey!" he calls, snapping Donna's attention away from the ingredients list on the box she was holding and towards the chiseled man in a v-neck walking towards them.

"What are you doing all the way uptown?" she smiles, suddenly wishing she'd put on a little bit of makeup and run a comb through her hair. They hadn't talked since running into each other at the coffee shop and she'd been anxious about running into him again ever since. She knows they had made tentative plans to catch up over drinks, but she realized they didn't have each others numbers and making those plans would have been extremely difficult, and yet, here he was again, standing in front of her sporting that Cheshire cat grin she'd grown to love.

"I was just stopping in to pick up some milk before I have to take Gordon to baseball practice" he explains, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"What brings you two in?" he smiles down at Jason, who offers a weak, shy smile in return.

"I got stung by a bee, so mom was getting me allergy medicine," he explains, pointing to the swollen bump on his arm.

"You know something, my brother Marcus is allergic to bee stings too, and whenever he used to get one, my mom would rub a little bit of butter over it and it would be all better! That stuff is like magic," he winks at Jason before finally turning his gaze towards Donna.

"Butter?" she cocks an eyebrow at him in question.

"Life hack from Lily. Seriously, it always worked."

"That's so Lily, it doesn't even surprise me" she chuckles, fluttering her eyelashes ever so slightly and making him blush at the memories of how close she once was with his family.

"Who's Lily?" Jason pipes up, catching both adults, who temporarily seemed to forget they were not alone, off guard.

"An old friend baby" Donna explains, and Jason seems to accept her answer without question.

"Well, I should get going, don't want to be late for practice," Harvey shrugs as he steals a glance at his watch.

"You guys have practices and games?! That's so cool!" Jason beams up at Harvey, clearly still idolizing him after the whole shark incident.

"Of course we do. Do you ever play baseball buddy?" Harvey kneels to be at eye level with Jason, who shakes his head in response.

"My dad was supposed to teach me, but he hasn't had time yet" he mumbles and Donna's heart shatters for him. She knows her divorce had been rough on the kids, only seeing their father every other weekend, if that, but Matthew had made less and less time for them lately and they missed out on a lot of the things a father should teach his kids. Not that she didn't do her best to fill in, but Jason was insistent that he wanted to learn how to play sports from his dad, so she let it slide, hoping Matthew would come around.

"Tell you what, how would you like it if I taught you? Maybe tomorrow afternoon you can come and practice with Gordon and I, if that's okay with your mom?" he looks up at her from his spot on the floor, his eyes almost pleading that she say yes so he can see her again.

"Please mom! Please, please, please, can I go?"

"Tomorrow?" she asks Harvey, who climbs back up to his feet and dusts off the knees of his pants.

"1:30, at the school field?"

"He doesn't have a glove…" she tries to make an excuse, though she would love an excuse to see him again, she suddenly becomes overrun with panic.

'I'll bring him one?" Harvey offers, flashing her the most sincere smile she'd ever seen and she knows it'll break Jason's heart if she doesn't agree.

"Alright, you can go" she tells Jason who reaches up to slap Harvey's open palm in a high-five.

"Why don't you run to the end of the aisle and grab that butter? But stay where I can see you!" she calls after him as he begins to jog down the aisle towards the freezer with the butter.

"You don't have to do this" she says as soon as Jason is out of earshot.

"I want to" he smiles, leaning in closer to her and adding in a hushed tone, "Besides, it's an excuse to see you again."

"Who says you need an excuse?" she smirks, and her eyes flick up towards his, a sudden confidence coursing through her veins.

"Well, I was going to call you and see if you wanted to go for drinks tonight, but I realized I don't have your number…"

"Might be hard to call me without a phone number, huh?" she teases, the distance between them suddenly seeming to evaporate and she can smell his musky cologne.

"I don't suppose you're still free tonight?"

"I would have been… but Rachel has a sudden last-minute date and I don't have a babysitter…"

"What about Monday? Let's say 8? You can tell me that story, we can keep it casual," he adds, panicking that he made it seem too date like.

"Okay."

"Okay" he responds back, turning to head down the aisle in the opposite direction of the milk he claimed to have come here to buy.

"Harvey?" she calls before he's gone too far.

"Yeah?"

"Give me your phone" she extends her hand so he can place his cell phone in her palm.

"What for?"

"How am I supposed to know if the plans change tomorrow if you don't have my number?" she flirts, taking his phone and saving her number into his contact list as_ Donna Paulsen_.

"Good point," he agrees, watching as she typed in her number and stuffing the phone back into his pocket once she's done.

Jason wanders back over with a stick of butter in his hand and holds it up to Harvey, "Like this one? Will this one be good for magic butter?"

"That one looks perfect," he grins as Jason hands the stick of butter to Donna.

"Well, I should get going but I'll see you both tomorrow okay?"

"See you tomorrow Harvey!" Jason says as Harvey sends Donna one more look over his shoulder before turning out of the aisle and leaving them to their origin task of picking up allergy medication.

"I really like Harvey mom," Jason says as she selects a box and tosses it into the cart next to the butter; the butter that she knew was an old fable, but she would do anything that would stop Jason from whining about the pain.

"Me too kiddo, me too," she answers with a smile as they make their way to the front of the store.

He's still unable to wipe the smile off his face once he was in his car. He can't believe he ran into her at a supermarket of all places and now not only were they going for drinks on Monday, but she and her kids were going to spend the afternoon with him and Gordon. If he would have been religious, he would've swore that whatever God was out there wanted him and Donna to have another shot at being together. And was he reading into it, or had she been flirting with him back there?

Either way, he had a date, maybe not a date but he had something planned for next week, and he was excited to teach Jason how to play baseball. He'd developed a soft spot for that kid and Donna being around was just an added bonus. Starting his car, he pulls out of the parking lot and heads to pick up Gordon.

If only his dad was still around, he would've gotten a big kick out of Harvey spending the day teaching Donna's son how to play baseball.

.

.

**Boston, 1990**

_"Would you relax, my dad is so cool," Harvey reassures her as they walk over to where Gordon's car is parked in front of the school. Before reaching the car, he flashes her the Cheshire Cat grin she found so goofy and he immediately calmed all of her fears with it._

_She's not sure why she feels so nervous meeting Harvey's parents, after all they were just friends, but meeting the man Harvey idolized terrified her. What if he didn't like her? Or didn't want his son to be friends with her anymore?_

_"Hey dad, is it okay if my friend Donna comes over for dinner?" Harvey asks as he slides into the back seat, motioning for her to follow._

_"Absolutely. I'm guessing this lovely young lady is Donna," he peers at her through the rear view mirror._

_"It's so nice to meet you Mr. Specter," she grins, buckling up her seat belt and placing her school bag between her and Harvey on the seat._

_"Please, call me Gordon."_

_._

_._

_"So, Donna, do you play any sports?" Gordon asks as everyone begins to dig into the meal on the table._

_"I do," she answers with an enthusiastic grin before placing a piece of broccoli in her mouth._

_"Please, cheerleading isn't a sport," he argues_

_"It's no less a sport than baseball!" she fires back._

_"I'm on the cheerleading squad," she clarifies as she answer's Gordon, flashing Harvey a smug tight-lipped 'I told you' so grin._

_"Ah, so maybe we'll see you at some of Harvey's games?" Gordon asks_

_"Absolutely!" she replies, slightly over-happy but she's doing her best to make a good impression on his parents._

_"Who knows, maybe Harvey here will teach you how to play ball one day," Gordon adds, and Harvey nearly chokes on the carrot in his mouth._

_"Dad, I think Donna is more the artsy, theatre type, not the balls hurling at her head type," Harvey explains, snickering at the mere thought of Donna trying to play baseball._

_"Oh, you're into theatre?" Lily smiles from her seat across from Donna._

_"I am. I'm actually starring in our school's production of Wicked next month."_

_"Is there anything you can't do dear?" Lily flashes her a genuine smile and she blushes at the compliment before Harvey jumps in, "Yeah, catch a ball."_

_Marcus comes home as they're finishing up dinner and drops his bag at the door before pulling up a seat next to Harvey and eyeing Donna._

_"Hey Donna," he greets as he immediately begins to shovel food into his mouth._

_"You two know each other?" Lily gestures between Donna and Marcus. It was hardly three weeks into the school year and Harvey had recently told her he never ran into Marcus at school, which she found hard to believe. When Harvey asked if he could invite his friend Donna over for dinner, she asked Marcus about her and he just shrugged and said he didn't know who it was._

_"We've met in passing at school," Donna explains. She'd been introduced to Harvey's brother in the hall once and seen him around, but they hadn't had a chance to interact much past that._

_"Plus, she's all he talks about" Marcus gestures to his brother, who is glaring back at him, willing him to stop talking, "I mean it's seriously 'Donna this' and 'Donna that' of course I know who she is."_

_Donna blushes down at her plate at Marcus' words. It wasn't the first time someone had made her blush using Harvey's name, her best friend Rachel was teasing her about her crush on him just last week, only she denied said crush and told Rachel what they told everyone else, they were just friends._

_"Relax Marcus, if you had a friend as lovely as Donna, you would brag about her too," Gordon winks at her and she smiles back thanking him for jumping in._

_"A friend. Right" Marcus scoffs, "Mark my words Dad, one day these two will be married and we'll all have a good laugh about this conversation."_

_._

_._

_"She really is a lovely girl" Gordon whispers to Harvey while they wash the dishes. Donna and Lily had settled into the living room to set up a family board game and Marcus had retreated to his room, leaving the remaining Specter men to clean up after dinner._

_"Dad…"_

_"I'm not going to say it, I just think based on the way you talk about her, you two would make a wonderful couple."_

_"It isn't like that Dad, and I doubt it ever will be…" he sighs before dropping his dish towel into the sink and drying his hands on his pants._

_"Alright son I believe you, but at least hear me when I say, one of these days, there is going to be a girl who steals your heart, and when she does, don't be afraid to take risks, because those risks are going to lead to some of the greatest moments in your life. Got it?"_

_"Got it."_

_"And for the love of god, please teach your **friend** Donna how to throw a baseball" he laughs._

_._

_._

**Upper West Side, 2013**

"Mom, I can't find my socks!" Amelia cries from her bedroom.

"They're in the laundry room!" Donna calls back as she ties her hair back in a messy ponytail, something she found she was doing a lot more lately, she really should just cut it shorter if she was always going to pin it back, she thinks to herself. She was dressed in yoga pants and a plain black t-shirt, an outfit she'd deemed acceptable to wear to the park but was slightly less casual than what she would wear around the house. She knows that today wasn't a date, but he told her he was looking forward to seeing her and that was reason enough to try and dress cute.

God, she felt like a lovesick teenager all over again, obsessing over a guy she couldn't read. Harvey had always been one of the only people she had a hard time reading. In high school, she could never accurately determine how he was feeling, and it seemed as though nothing had changed because here she was, trying to determine if their Monday night plans were considered a date.

"Mom, can I wear my hockey jersey? The one that dad got me?" Jason calls from the hall. The kids had been firing questions off at her for the past half-hour and she could tell they were excited about the afternoon baseball plans. She wasn't sure Amelia would want to come along, but when Jason came home and explained that his friend Gordon's dad wanted to teach him how to play baseball, she also wanted to learn.

"Are you sure you want to wear that? It has long sleeves" she points out as Jason struts down the hall in his over-sized hockey jersey.

"Yes, Harvey will think it's cool because it's a sports shirt," he answers, before sprinting towards the door to begin putting on his running shoes.

It was sweet how quickly Jason had taken to Harvey, but it only added another layer of concern to them reconnecting. What if things didn't work out and they stopped talking again? She doubts Jason would be too happy if she told him he couldn't spend time with Gordon anymore, not that she ever would, but their kids' friendship only complicated matters further.

"Are you two ready?" she calls, filling up two water bottles and stuffing them into the backpack she prepared for the afternoon.

"Yes" they cry at the same time, standing by the front door ready, Jason in his hockey jersey, Amelia in a t-shirt with a glittery "I'm Awesome" printed across the front.

"Alright, let's get going," she says, taking a breath and following behind her kids to the car.

.

.

**Brooklyn, 2013**

**A Baseball Field**

Harvey and Gordon arrived at the field just after 1 o'clock and began passing the ball back and forth, Gordon already filled with energy as he sprinted across the lawn to catch the long ball his dad threw. Gordon was over the moon when Harvey came home the night before and asked if he wanted to play baseball with Jason. He knew Jason had never played baseball and was excited to help teach his friend all about his favourite sport, just like his dad had taught him.

Harvey often told Gordon about how his dad taught him to play baseball when he was a kid, and sometimes before bed Gordon would whisper up to the ceiling, telling his grandfather about Harvey teaching him how to play.

Ever since Claudia had died, baseball became Harvey and Gordon's thing. Harvey once took Gordon out to the park to pass a ball when he couldn't sleep one night, and ever since then, it's what they did whenever one of them was feeling down. Sometimes, Marcus and his kids would join, but most days, it was just Harvey and Gordon tossing a ball back and forth until the sun faded behind the clouds and the moon began to rise.

Harvey was surprised to see how willing Gordon was to let Jason and his family in on their bonding time, as even getting him to agree to letting his cousins play had been a challenge. He supposed it had something to do with how alike he and Jason were, they both were raised by a single parent, both were shy, and they had similar interests. It also probably helped that Gordon had taken a liking to Donna during their class trip, something he hardly ever saw happen with Gordon and women Harvey's age.

"They're here!" Gordon yells as he runs towards the fence where Donna's car pulled up.

Two small redheaded children climb out of the back seat, immediately taking off towards the field as Donna trails behind them holding a backpack and her sunglasses. Even in her casual clothes, he can't help but notice how radiant she looks. She'd always been attractive, in high school there was no shortage of boys lining up to get her number or ask her to dinner, but she somehow managed to become even more beautiful with age.

"Don't run!" she calls after them, but it's no use, they're already standing next to Gordon on the field.

"Harvey!" Jason calls once he's close enough to show off his jersey, "Do you like my sports shirt?"

"I love it, very good choice." he pats Jason on the head before turning and offering a small smile to his sister, "And you must be Amelia."

"Yes, how did you know?" she beams back up at him and he can tell Donna was right, she's far more confident than her brother.

"You mom told me all about you and I have a funny feeling your shirt is right and you're pretty awesome" he says as he reads the glittery lettering across her pink t-shirt which only causes her to laugh.

"So, are you going to learn some baseball with us today too?" he asks her.

"I think I'm going to sit with mom first" she explains, unsure of whether or not she actually wanted to play or just watch.

"Alright, but if you change your mind you come down here and join us, deal?"

"Deal" she grins.

"Hey" he says softly, greeting Donna as she strolls towards the group, sunglasses now covering her hazel eyes, his eyes immediately falling on her exposed neck.

"Hey" she smiles back, in an equally soft, almost flirtatious tone.

"Are you joining us too?" he smirks, eyeing her athletic wear, complete with matching sneakers.

"God no. I'm going to go sit up there" she gestures towards the bleachers, "And do what I do best."

"Cheer?" his eyebrow raises slightly with his smirk and she has to control the smile that's tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Spectate" she answers with a pointed look and a slight eye roll, her nose crinkling at the bridge.

The nose crinkle sends his heart for a whirl, she was flirting with him, and he was eating it up.

Leaning in slightly so the kids won't hear, his lips fall just above the top of her ear and her breath hitches when he begins to speak in a low, sultry tone that causes the blood in her veins to run cold.

"If I recall correctly, what you did best on those bleachers did not involve cheering or spectating."

"That was twenty years ago" she whispers back.

"It feels more like nineteen and a half if you ask me" he steps back and tosses her a wink before clapping his hands and instructing Gordon to fetch Jason a glove from his gym bag.

Once she catches her breath, and steadies her shaking legs, Donna leads Amelia to the bleachers where they take a seat and watch as Harvey teaches Jason how to put a glove on, with Gordon's help of course.

She can't help but notice he's stayed in incredibly good shape over the years, his gym shorts fitting snugly and giving her an appreciation for all of his, umm… assets, literally. All she can think is thank god for her dark-lens sunglasses because she can hardly peel her eyes away from him. The way his back muscles clenched beneath his tight-fitting top as he showed her son how to properly throw a ball making her feel things she didn't know were possible. She does her best to focus on anything but his body but struggles when he decides to reach his arms over his head and stretch, revealing his toned, tanned stomach. After the flirtatious remark about the bleachers, it's no wonder she can't keep her mind from wandering to his body.

If this was how the afternoon was going to go, she was in for a world of trouble.

.

.

**Boston, 1993**

**School Bleachers**

_Ditching sixth period had become a regular habit this week, as she found herself pressed up against the wall under the bleachers while Harvey slipped his hands under her cheer leading uniform top and cupped her breasts._

_The school year was nearing its end, and they'd been dating for a while now. Ever since sleeping together for the first time, she and Harvey had a hard time keeping their hands off each other and spent every free second pawing at each other. They no longer tried to minimize their PDA and held hands while strolling down the hall, made out against her locker and as of this week, would sneak off between fifth and sixth period to hookup under the bleachers._

_They were young and in love and to them, that was all that mattered. With one hand on the brick wall above her head, and the other rolling over her left nipple, he gently tugged at the skin above her collar bone with his teeth._

_"Harv-" she moans as he gives her nipple a slight tug, "Don't you dare give me a hickey again!"_

_"I'm not" he mumbles between kisses_

_"That's what you said last time" she complains as she dips her hand beneath the waistband of his pants and frees his length from his boxers._

_"Oh god" he mumbles as she begins to stroke him, pausing to run her thumb over the tip and watching his face light up as she does so. She releases her grip, only intending to tease him and he leans down for a kiss, pressing her back against the exposed brick as he slips his tongue into her mouth. He slides his hand beneath her skirt and runs a finger over her panties, causing her to moan his name into his mouth, before he plunges it into her folds, a motion that causes her to grind forward. He continues to pump in and out, adding a second finger as his kisses become sloppier and more desperate._

_"Do you have…?" she asks in a hushed voice._

_He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a condom, tearing it open and slipping in on, he scoops her up so that her legs are wrapped around his waist, her back still pressed against the wall. She moans his name once again as he enters her, wrapping her arms around his neck as he buries his head further into the crook of her neck with each plunging motion, until he's hit the right spot and she's clutching at his back, breathless._

.

.

**Brooklyn, 2013**

Leaning back against the bleachers, she clears her mind of the images from twenty years prior, focusing on the scene unfolding before her. Gordon and Harvey had successfully taught Jason how to put a glove on and how to go about catching a ball and were happily passing a baseball in a circle. The sound of the boy's laughter makes a smile break out across her face as the sight of the ball whirling past Harvey's head sends them both into a giggle fit.

They switch gears after catching their breath, Harvey and Gordon showing Jason the proper stance to take when lining up to hit a ball. Gordon stands with his bat hovering over home plate as Harvey tosses the ball in his direction and he sends it flying through the outfield.

"See, just like that, now you try!" Gordon beams at Jason, stepping out of the way to allow him to step up to the plate.

Jason places his hands where Gordon shows him on the bat and copies the way his friend slung the bat over his shoulder, his gaze turned towards where Harvey is standing on the pitching mound. Harvey tosses the ball towards Jason, who swings and misses with a heavy sigh.

"It's okay buddy, lets try again" Harvey cheers, and gets ready to toss another ball towards him.

Three attempts later, and she can see the frustration across Jason's face. Unlike his sister, he was always the type to give up on something if he didn't pick up on it quickly, something she'd been working on him with over the years. After his fifth attempt, still making no contact with the ball, he drops the bat and slumps his shoulders with a frustrated, "I can't do it!" cry leaving his lips.

Harvey makes his way over to the plate from the mound and drops his hands to his knees so he's at eye level with Jason, and she watches as he instructs her son in taking a few deep breaths.

"I know it's hard, but what if we try it a few more times?"

"But I'm not good at it…" Jason whines.

"That's why we're practicing, so we can get better" Harvey pats him on the shoulder with a smile before nodding and heading back towards the mound.

"Three more tries, for me, deal?"

"Deal" Jason reluctantly agrees, looking up to Donna who nods, reassuring him.

Harvey looks over his shoulder and tosses her a saucy smile before resuming his place on the mound, her stomach filling with butterflies at the way the corners of his lips curl beneath the wrinkles that fill the corners of his eyes beneath his ball cap.

Harvey throws the first ball and Jason swings and misses, while Gordon cheers his friend on from the sidelines.

The second ball whizzes past his head and settles on the ground behind him and the third follows suit.

"One more? I have a good feeling about this one" Harvey calls and Jason nods and agrees, a determined look washing over his face as he waves the bat a few times before tilting it back over his shoulder.

Harvey winds up once more before peering back at Amelia and Donna and tossing her a small wink, releasing the ball that meets Jason's bat and goes flying out to left field. Jason watches in shock, jaw hung open as the ball sails through the cloudless sky and lands in the outfield behind Harvey's head.

"I did it!" the small boy jumps as Donna rises to her feet and claps while Harvey, Amelia and Gordon all sing a chorus of woohoo's.

"I knew you could do it!" Harvey calls, running over to give Jason a high five.

"Thank you, thank you!" Jason gushes, wrapping Harvey's left leg in a hug.

Donna watches as her son celebrates with her former high school lover and his son, the look of pure joy on his face enough to fill her head to toe with happiness. It was a sight she never thought she'd see, her son being excited about sports, and yet, here they were on a baseball field, celebrating Jason being excited about hitting a ball.

"Are you sure you don't want to try?" Donna asks Amelia, who is equally as excited as her brother about his newest accomplishment.

"Maybe I can just try throwing the ball?" she peers up at her mom with hopeful eyes.

"Get down there" Donna winks and Amelia takes off, racing down the bleachers towards the field to join Gordon and Jason.

She settles back into her seat as she watches Harvey greet Amelia and fetch her a glove, Gordon racing to show her how to properly put it on, clearly taking his job as Harvey's assistant very seriously. She can tell by the way they interact that the two of them must be very close, and that baseball was something the two of them shared; much like Harvey and his father had in high school.

Watching as Harvey gently tosses a ball to each of the kids, one by one, she can't help but think of how proud his father would be, to see the type of man he had become. In the few interactions she'd had with him since becoming reacquainted, she could tell her was a caring, kind, compassionate man. And he was a natural with kids. Not only did he and Gordon seem to have an inseparable bond, but the way he was treating her kids spoke volumes about his character. She could feel her heart rate increase as she watched him show her daughter how to properly place her glove to catch the ball Gordon tossed her and she began to wonder, is this what her life would've been like had things gone right all those years ago?

She wouldn't trade her kids for anything, they were the best thing to come out of her failed marriage, but she wonders if maybe they could have had a life together. She shakes her head at the thought, telling herself that she shouldn't be having thoughts like this. He may have been flirting with her, may have even asked her for drinks, but she had her kids to think about and she couldn't get caught up in this lovesick teenage behaviour. She couldn't. She wouldn't.

"Donna!" his voice calls her back to reality and she looks down at the field to find him leaning on the fence directly in front of her, their kids all passing the ball in a circle.

"Distracted?" he adds with a coy smile.

"No" she scoffs, reaching back to tighten her ponytail.

"Good, get down here" he calls, his arm leaning up on the chain linked fence, showing off how toned his biceps were.

"I don't baseball" she protests, folding her arms across her chest.

"It's about time you let me teach you" he calls back.

"I never let you teach me back then, what makes you think I'll let you now?"

"Because your daughter requested that I come get you" he answers, knowing her kids are her weakness and that she'll have a hard time saying no.

"That's a low blow, using my kids against me" she remarks, still rooted in her spot on the bench.

"Donna Paulsen, don't make me come up there and get you!" he threatens, walking his way towards the gate leading to the bleacher steps.

"You wouldn't!" she tries to call his bluff but he's already standing in front of her, scooping her up by the waist and tossing her over his shoulder before turning back towards the field.

She barely has time to think before she's leaning over his shoulder, her head resting near the back of his neck, her torso wrapped in his arms. She flails her legs in protest, which only makes him grip onto her hips harder, her kids giggling as he carries her towards them. He can't help but notice her figure, the way his hands fit perfectly around her waist, the unintentional grazing of her breasts again his chest sending a quick pulse of excitement ripping through his body.

"Harvey put me down!" she screams, arms gently pounding against his back as he walks her over to the pitching mound. He bends forward to place her on her feet, his face inches from her own as he stands back up, both holding their breath as their eyes briefly meet before falling back to the floor.

"There, I put you down" he chuckles, tossing a glove in her direction; a glove she barely manages to catch using both hands.

"I don't do baseball" she waves the glove over her head at him, watching as the smirk spreads across his face as he shakes his head.

"Common mom! It's easy" Jason yells, rushing to her side to help her put the glove on the way Gordon showed him.

"Alright, alright, fine" she concedes, tucking her left hand into the glove and marching to the open space between Harvey and Jason. Before she takes her place, she leans over so only Harvey can hear her when she whispers, "Drinks are now on you, on Monday."

"Sounds like a date," he points out.

"Okay."

"Okay, it's a date then?"

"It's a date then," she says with a cautious smile before stepping back into her place and getting ready to catch the ball.

"Alright, Gordon and Jason are you going to teach her how to catch?"

"Okay!" Both boys call as they demonstrate how to properly catch the ball.

Donna picks up on it after a few rounds, and after Jason brings himself over to her and shows her how to open the palm of her glove to allow for the ball, something he was quite proud to have mastered. The group ends up playing catch for the afternoon, the sun fading in and out as it hides behind clouds and provides temporary relief from the blazing heat that came with the sunshine. She laughed as Amelia and Harvey competed for a ball Gordon tossed into the outfield, Harvey tickling her daughter to get ahead, but losing in a foot race to the ball. It turned out, she wasn't the worst at baseball. She wasn't going to be a professional anytime soon, but she could at least catch the ball.

Harvey watched with pride as Jason and Gordon took turns pitching to each other, Gordon taking the time to help teach Jason how to improve his swing. By the time the sun began to set, Jason was a hitting the ball almost every time and even Amelia had given batting a try. They tried to convince Donna to try her hand at bat, but she was persistent in sticking with playing catch; which was still more than he ever convinced her to try in high school.

As the cool evening air began to settle in, Donna told her kids they should get home for dinner, and despite the protests, they eventually helped pack of the equipment and make their way towards the cars.

"What do you say to Harvey and Gordon for teaching you two today?" Donna prods, leaning against the trunk of her car.

"Thank you," they replied together, massive smiles painted across their faces.

"You three," Harvey makes a point to emphasize the three and turn his attention towards Donna, "Are more than welcome to join us anytime."

"Mom, can Gordon and Harvey come to my birthday party? Then me and Gordon can practice more?" Jason begs, asking her loud enough so that everyone can hear.

"I'm sure they already have plans buddy, your party is tomorrow," Donna explains, her face reddening at her son's impromptu invitation to their house.

"You don't have plans, do you Harvey? We're going to have a bouncy house and balloons and even a birthday cake!" Jason rambles excitedly.

"Can we go dad?" Gordon looks up to Harvey with pleading eyes.

"I don't think we should impose," Harvey reasons, placing a hand on Gordon's shoulder.

"Mom, they should come!" Amelia adds.

"Do you two have plans tomorrow?" Donna turns to Harvey, catching him off guard.

"What time should we come over?" he grins back.

"2 o'clock" she replies.

"Then I guess we will see you guys tomorrow" Harvey says, opening the car door for Gordon.

Donna helps Amelia and Jason into the car before rounding it to the driver's side, where Harvey is also getting into his car.

"I'll text you the address?" she asks.

"Are you sure?"

"Jason wants you there…"

"Right."

"And so do I…" she flashes him a smile before getting into the car and shutting the door.

The kid's chat excitedly about their recent baseball adventure the entire ride home and scamper off to their rooms while she prepares leftovers for dinner. Dinner is filled with a mixture of baseball talk and birthday party conversations, Jason getting excited for his family party the next day.

She wasn't dreading the party, but she wasn't excited to host it either, and inviting Harvey and Gordon only added to her stress. Rachel was supposed to come over later that night once the kids went to bed to help her set up, and the party was to be held the next afternoon. It was a small, family gathering. Donna's parents, her ex-husband and his sister, with her three kids, and brother with his two kids. A few neighbours, and a few family friends. She planned on hosting it in the backyard and was already exhausted just thinking about it.

Her head was so swamped with her to do list, it hadn't even occurred to her that her ex-husband was attending, or supposed to be attending, the party Jason just invited Harvey to.

Tidying up the table, she pours herself a generous glass of wine and plops down on the couch beneath a fleece throw blanket, still wearing her athletic wear from earlier. She pulls out her cellphone and sends Rachel a quick message about stopping to pick up some extra plastic forks before relaxing into the sofa and reflecting on her day.

The day she spent with her kids and Harvey. Harvey Specter, the only person she'd ever said I love you too besides her husband. The man she lost her virginity too. Her first love. And it felt simple. Natural. Like everything was meant to happen this way.

She spent the better part of the past week convincing herself that there was no longer a spark between them; that whatever they once had was long gone. She knows now that she was lying to protect herself, and that he felt it too. She was cautious at first, but once he set precedent and flirted with her, she caved and flirted back and now she knew that somehow, they were on the same page. They had a date on Monday. A real date. Not one of these fluky run-ins that typically involved their kids. He was going to take her on a real date, and she was excited about it. It was her first real date since her divorce, and for the first time in years, she felt like maybe she was ready to let someone in, and she wanted more than anything for that someone to be him.

Her phones vibrates in her hand and she unlocks it, thinking it was Rachel responding to her fork request.

.

**Harvey: I had a lot of fun today… your kids are wonderful**

Smiling to herself, she sets her wine glass down on the coffee table and responds.

**Donna: They had a great time!**

**Donna: So did I 😊**

**Harvey: Are you sure about tomorrow? It's not too late for us to be "busy"?**

**Donna: Of course, Jason would love if Gordon was there, besides, it's not like it's a date 😉**

**Harvey: No, that's Monday. Sorry I don't have a beat up old car to pick you up in this time**

**Donna: Guess I'll have to settle for a non-beat up car**

**Harvey: Goodnight Donna**

**Donna: Goodnight Harvey (628 W89th… is the address)**

.

A key rattles in the lock and Rachel rushes through the front door, a bag of decorative plates and party hats in her arms as she heads into the living room, flustered.

"Sorry, sorry, I know I promised I would be here to help, my date went longer than expected," she explains, dumping the contents of the bag out onto the table.

"Another date? That's like the third one this week. I take it it's going well?" Donna asks, reaching to save her wine glass from the pile of clutter filling the table.

"He's incredible Don. Like I really think he could be the one!" she gushes, helping herself to a glass of wine from the kitchen before joining Donna on the couch.

"Rachel Zane using the term 'the one' I must be hearing things" Donna laughs.

"I'm telling you, it's like we were made for each other."

"When do I get to meet him?"

"I told him to stop by tomorrow before we head to dinner."

"Ouuuu I finally get to meet this mystery man, I'm excited."

"You should be! How was baseball?"

"It was fine" Donna answers nonchalantly, face hidden behind her glass.

"It was fine my ass, spill!" Rachel insists.

"We have a date…"

"Shut up! When?"

"Monday… but the kids also invited him and Gordon tomorrow," she explains, finishing the rest of the wine in her glass.

"And he said yes?"

"He did."

"What if Matthew shows up?"

"I doubt he will…."

"A date with Harvey Specter…." Rachel muses out loud, "I just have one request."

"What's that?"

"Promise me you'll tell me if he's_ improved_ over the years," she wags her eyebrows at Donna, who playfully smacks her on the knee and laughs.

.

.

**Upper West Side, 2013**

"Hey hey mister! You promised me that you would pick up your firetrucks after breakfast!" she calls after Jason who goes sprinting down the hallway in the superhero cape Rachel gave him as an early birthday gift.

"I will mom!" he yells as he continues down the hall, arm outstretched like superman.

"Now please!" she demands from her position in the kitchen, where she's been stationed for the past half hour slicing up various fruits.

Jason reluctantly trudges over to the table and scoops up his toy firetrucks, depositing all but his favourite one into his room before making his way into the kitchen.

"What time are my friends coming?" he asks, propping himself up on his knees at the kitchen table and reaching for a cube of watermelon.

"Soon. Why don't you and your sister go help Auntie Rachel hang up the balloons outside?"

"Okay" Jason agrees, sticking another slice of melon in his mouth before trailing down the hall once again screaming for Amelia. Once the kids are outside, she finishes preparing the food in silence before joining them. Today was her final day free of rehearsals and she'd opted for a casual emerald green summer dress that clung to her body at the top but flowed freely at the bottom. Her hair framed her face with loose curls and she dusted on a light coat of mascara before deeming herself ready and heading outside to help Rachel set up.

Rachel was also sporting a casual summer dress in blue, her hair in long, tight curls and pinned back at the top in what Donna could only assume was in preparation for her date after the party. She finds Jason and Amelia eagerly handing Rachel an assortment of blue and red balloons to be hung along the fence when she joins them. The morning had been hectic - between party preparation and Amelia wanting her hair curled to match her own, she'd barely had a second tot sit and relax.

"Alright, what else needs to be done before people arrive?" she claps, joining her little makeshift family in hanging balloons.

.

.

**Brooklyn, 2013**

"Gordon! Let's go we're going to be late!" Harvey calls from the porch where he's waiting for his son, "And don't forget the present that's on the counter!"

Harvey leans back against the door frame as he waits for Gordon, adjusting his navy button down shirt and khakis. Two weeks ago, he couldn't even muster up what Donna would look like, and now he was waiting to take his son to her son's birthday party. It was almost surreal, them finding each other again and reconnecting the way they had. He'd been racking his brain trying to come up with a perfect date idea, replaying his conversation with Mike in his head, but so far, he had nothing.

Last night, Gordon went on and on about how excited he was to go to Jason's birthday party, and how much he liked Jason's mom. Harvey couldn't believe how easily Gordon had taken to Donna, but he was grateful. If he was going to introduce Gordon to a girlfriend in the future, he was suddenly hopeful it would be Donna, and Gordon would accept it.

Ushering Gordon into the car, they begin the drive to Donna's house in the city. He continued to tell Harvey about how excited Jason was going to be with the new firetruck they picked up for him as Harvey stared out the window trying to steady his nerves. She made it clear that they were welcome at the party, but he couldn't steady his heart rate as the street numbers increased from 40s to 50s and he knew they were getting closer.

He contemplated coming up with an excuse for why they couldn't make it, but he didn't want to discourage Gordon from making friends and figured he could put on his big boy pants and handle socializing with whoever was at this party. He wondered if her family would be there as he nervously drummed his palms against the steering wheel. Her mother always had a soft spot for him, always secretly rooting for them to get together while her father often avoided him whenever he would go over. He didn't think Jim particularly disliked him, but he was never as friendly as her mother, whom he was closer to, much like how his father and Donna shared a bond that Lily and Donna did not.

He gripped the wheel as he continued past the red bricks that lined the streets of the Upper West Side, his mind jumping between the fear of what to expect at this party and memories of the past.

.

.

**Boston 1992**

**End of Summer Bash (Pre-Relationship)**

T_ossing back his third beer of the night, he watches bitterly as Jason Palsem continues to try and flirt with her near the pool. He's been standing with a few of his baseball friends since he spotted the blonde make his way over to where her and Rachel were standing, and he hadn't been able to look away since._

_He wasn't supposed to be jealous, they were best friends after all, so he chalked it up to the fact that he knew she could do so much better than a guy like Jason Palsem. She tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear and laughs along with Rachel as Jason says something that the two of them apparently find hilarious. He's just about to head inside and grab a fourth beer when he notices Rachel's arm linger across Jason's and suddenly he feels much lighter, knowing that it's Donna who is playing wing man, and not the other way around._

_He shakes his head as he watches the scene unfold, Rachel laughs at something Jason says again before Donna excuses herself and leaves the two of them to flirt - it was always the same old story._

_"You look lonely" she smirks, coming up from behind him and reaching for his already empty beer can._

_"Just waiting on you so we can go grab a refill" he teases, leading the way into the house._

_"What a gentlemen," she chuckles, sliding her arm through his as they weaved their way through the party._

_He was used to the weird stares they always got at party's, the comments about them being more than friends and the not-so-subtle remarks about how he was in love with her. It was nothing he couldn't handle. He often came to parties like this to socialize with his teammates but left with Donna (as friends of course) once Rachel had found herself a guy. It was the same routine time and time again. Every party they attended in that summer of 1992 began with Donna playing wing man for Rachel and ended with Harvey and Donna grabbing fries on their way home._

_It wasn't like Donna couldn't go home with someone else, she had plenty of attention from the guys in their grade, but she wasn't the type of girl looking for a fling and preferred to spend time with friends at parties._

_"So, Jason and Rachel?" he raises a brow in question while passing her one of his beers._

_"For now" she laughs, since they both know Rachel will have moved on by the following week._

_Donna adored Rachel, she was her best friend and the first person she would turn to in a crisis, but sometimes she wondered if her friend ever wanted a more meaningful relationship. Not that she found anything wrong with the summer flings Rachel had, she just found herself wanting more and often wondered if her best friend shared her thoughts._

_Before Harvey has a chance to comment, a guy named Dylan from their English class walks up to them, or more specifically, walks up to Donna._

_"Hey Donna, Harvey" he nods, his body turned towards the young redhead in her white tube top and jean skirt._

_"Hey Dylan, great party" she smiles, flicking her eyes towards Harvey briefly and noticing his stance had tensed since Dylan joined them._

_"Thanks, I was actually wondering…."_

_Harvey steps to the side as Dylan continues to flirt with Donna when he realizes she's enjoying the conversation. Usually, she would flash him a telling look if she wanted to be rescued, but her body language, the way she leaned in while she talked and twirled her hair through her fingers indicated she didn't need any rescuing._

_He makes his way to the back of the room while he watches her flirt, trying not to let his mind wander to the place it often did when he was alone and thinking of her; a place where he wished it was him she was flirting with. He watches as Dylan makes her laugh, clenching his fists at his side because, it should be him over there, making her laugh._

_He's about to head back outside towards the pool when a small manicured hand slips through his arm and pulls him back._

_"Thanks for that!" she rolls her eyes at him, tugging him through the back door and towards the patio._

_"For what" he stares back, oblivious._

_"Just leaving me there with Dylan" she says as if it's obvious._

_"I thought you wanted…"_

_"Please, all I want to do is get drunk by the pool with you before we get the hell out of here and go grab those fries you promised me"_

_"By the pool? Or in the pool?" he smirks, taking a small step in her direction, forcing her to take a step back in the direction of the pool._

_"Don't you dare! I'm wearing white!" she protests, noticing his eyes dart between her and the water and recognizing the coy grin on his face that meant he was up to no good._

_"So am I, what's your point?" he asks, taking another step towards her._

_"Harvey Specter I will disown you as a best friend!" she yelps as he takes one final step towards her before grabbing a hold of her waist and tossing her into the pool, jumping in after her._

_"You're so dead!" she screams as she comes up from beneath the water, tossing her soaked hair back over her shoulder and splashing him. Her eyes briefly dart down to where his white t-shirt is plastered to his chiseled core before she launches herself onto his back in an attempt to force his head beneath the water._

_Watching as Donna climbs onto Harvey's back and attempts to force him beneath the surface of the water, Jason turns to Rachel, "I thought you said they weren't together?"_

_"They aren't" Rachel snickers, shaking her head as she watches her two best friends frolic around in the water._

.

.

**Upper West Side, 2013**

Pulling up at the Paulsen residence, he notices the house decorated with red and blue balloons and streamers. Gordon is practically bounding out of the backseat as Harvey pulls into a spot across the street and he's bouncing with anticipation as they ring the doorbell, gift in hand.

Rachel opens the door wearing a stunning blue dress and leans back against it with a knowing smile.

"Harvey Specter" she coos in a way that takes him back a few decades.

"Rachel Zane" he nods, placing Gordon in front of him, a hand resting on his shoulder.

"And you must be Gordon" Rachel smiles down at Gordon who is semi-hiding behind his father's leg.

"All of the other kids are out back, why don't you go on in?" she adds.

"Go on" Harvey gives him a gentle shove in the direction of the backyard and Gordon tentatively begins to walk before spotting Jason and running to give him his new fire truck.

"He looks just like you" Rachel says, stepping aside to let Harvey inside.

"How are you Rachel? It's been… god, it's been a while"

"I'm doing pretty well, I can't complain" she shrugs, taking his coat and leading him through the house towards the backyard.

"I hear you're doing pretty well yourself," she smirks, and he can't help but notice she hasn't changed a bit, she's still the same old Rachel Zane he knew in high school.

"She told you" he says, in a half question half statement. He knew Donna and Rachel were still close, and assumed she'd be here today but it slipped his mind that Donna may have told her about their date for the following evening.

"Don't break her heart again" Rachel warns before turning on her heel and strutting towards a group of people seated around one of the trees in the yard.

He finds himself milling around towards the drink table, looking over the decorations as he grabs himself a glass of punch. The crowd is a mixture of young and old people, the kids all seated around a pinata while the adults are scattered across the yard mingling.

He spots her parents near the corner of the yard and makes a mental note to greet them before they leave. When he doesn't spot any other familiar faces in the crowd, her turns his attention towards her house, the brownstone that's decorated with an assortment of roses and lilies, in a way that is so her it makes him smile.

He spots her coming out the back door holding a tray of fruit, her long red curls loosely framing her face and the green summer dress she wore immediately catching his eye. Her eyes find his as she makes her way across the lawn and sets the tray down on the table.

"You came?" she beamed up at him, taking in his dark button up with the sleeves rolled just above the elbow.

"Of course, Jason requested it," he chuckles, "Besides, I was looking for an excuse to see you again before our date."

Her cheeks flush as she leans back on her palms against the table, "I don't remember you being so forward in high school."

"Because I wasn't. Something I've learned growing up is that if you don't go after what you want, you'll never get it."

"And what is it that you want?" she flirts.

"Well…."

"HARVEYYYYY!" Jason yells, launching himself at Harvey's leg, Gordon lagging closely behind.

"Hey buddy, happy birthday!" Harvey pats Jason on the head, "My goodness, I think you got taller!"

"Mom said that too! She says that every year on your birthday you get a little bit taller!" he beams up at him and Harvey notices the new fire truck they got for him in his hand next to his usual one.

"Your mom is one smart lady"

"Mom! Look at the fire truck Gordon and Harvey got me!" he holds it up for her to see.

"Wow, that's really nice, what do you say?"

"Thank you!" Jason yells before running off towards the other kids with Gordon.

"You didn't have to…"

"He's a great kid, I was happy too. This is some party, the colours remind me of…" he surveys the yard once again.

"Superman, it's his favourite superhero," she finishes for him.

"Like mother, like son."

"Donna darling!" her mother greets, coming over and placing a kiss on her cheek before turning to face Harvey.

"My god, Harvey Specter, is that you all grown up?"

"It's good to see you Mrs. Paulsen" he pulls her in for a hug. He hadn't seen Donna's mom in years, but she hadn't aged a bit. Her hair was as bright as ever and her nose was sprinkled with the same freckles as her daughters and her granddaughters.

"What on earth are you doing here?" her mom asks, pulling back from the hug to get a full look at him.

"My son, Gordon," Harvey gestures towards where Gordon and Jason are racing fire trucks through the grass, "Is in Jason's class."

"What are the odds" she smiles, looking between him and her daughter.

"Well, it was good to see you Harvey, I'll leave the two of you to catch up," her mom smirks before leaving the two of them alone once again.

"She always did have a soft spot for you," Donna points out.

"The Paulsen woman were always a sucker for my charm" he smirks.

"You're just lucky it wasn't my dad that came over here."

"I could win him over," he adds with a cocky grin.

"Look, here he comes," she points over his shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Where?!" he turns around in a panic.

"Ha! Gotcha!"

"Now that was just mean!"

"Common, let's get you a drink" she grins, leading him into the kitchen, away from the party.

.

.

**Boston 1993**

**Mid-May**

_"My god, can you two keep your hands off each other for five whole seconds?" Rachel gushes at her best friends; Donna wrapped in Harvey's arms as he trails kisses along her neck from behind._

_They hardly hear Rachel's complaints, too wrapped up in each other to notice anything but the other. It was a little bit early for a beach bash, but the spring had been unusually warm, and the senior class was taking advantage of it by throwing the senior bash on the beach. The beach was littered with teens in bikinis and beach wraps, drinking beers and celebrating having nearly completed senior year._

_Despite having dated for most of their senior year, the novelty of their new relationship had not yet worn off and Donna and Harvey remained smitten, much to the dismay of their friends who wondered when the puppy love would subside. They were most likely to be voted prom king and queen, Harvey the star athlete and Donna the cheerleader/lead in the school's latest production but none of that mattered. They had each other, and to them, that was the world._

_"Common, let's get you a drink," she giggles, dragging him away from the crowd at the beach towards the beach bar._

_He follows, fingers intertwined with her own as she leads the way through the crowd in her blue bikini top and white floral skirt._

_"Or, we could get out of here?" he whispers, pulling her in and placing a kiss along her jaw, just below her left ear._

_"We just got here," she points out, leaning into his side as his arm comes up and wraps around her bare waist._

_"And you decided to tease me by wearing that top," his eyes wander over her exposed torso and she playfully swats at his chest._

_"It's a beach party, Harvey," she flails her arms in the direction of the waves crashing against the shore to prove her point._

_"It's not my fault that my girlfriend is beautiful," he replies, placing another kiss into her hair._

_"Wow, you must really want to get out of here, throwing around compliments like that," she laughs, grabbing them two beers off the bar and pulling him away from the party, up the empty beach._

_"Donna, you are - so beautiful," he breathes, stopping her in her tracks and peering down at her with sincere, love filled eyes._

_He can see her cheeks redden even in the pale moonlight and she squeezes his hand before plopping herself down in the sand just before where the waves were crashing against the shore._

_"God, I really love you," she smiles back at him from her spot, seated between his open legs as they listen to the waves roar._

_"I really love you too," he says into a kiss._

_She stays in his lap for a while running her fingers along his bare thigh as they stare out at the water before them._

_"I'm going to miss the beach when we move to the city one day," she sighs, hand coming to rest on his knee._

_"It'll be worth it, you'll be a Broadway star and I'll play for the Yankees," he says, his thumb drawing small circles up and down her side, her head leaning back and coming to rest on his shoulder._

_"And we can spend weekends strolling through Central Park, and go for dinner at the fanciest restaurant we can find, maybe even that one they use in the movies, um, what's it called?"_

_"Del Posto?"_

_"Del Posto" she repeats, "We'll be so rich we can go for monthly dinners at Del Posto."_

_"Deal" he smiles, as she turns herself over in his lap to face him._

_The lights from the party were nothing but a blur in the distance as she climbs on top of him and closes the distance between their bodies with a kiss. Her auburn locks frame his face from where she hovers above his body, her bikini pressing against his thin t-shirt, his hand running up her skirt along her thigh until it's hovering above the waistband of her bathing suit bottoms._

_"Donna Paulsen, I'm terribly in love with you" he whispers between kisses._

_"That's good, because I'm terribly in love with you, Harvey Specter."_

.

.

**Upper West Side, 2013**

She loses track of time as they catch up in the kitchen, Harvey leaning against the island as she sits on it, swinging her legs back and forth to the rhythm of the song that is blaring outside. Their conversation is light and fun and the pressure of their date for the next night was slowly wearing away.

He told her some of his favourite interactions with students over the years and she told him about the crazy casting director on her first off-off Broadway production. They talked about everything post-college, her stage career, his teaching one, and their kids, but neither dared bring up anything from their high school days.

All the tension and nervousness she'd been filled with before he and Gordon arrived seemed to dissipate with her laughter as he continued to tell the tale of the time he showed up for the wrong class his first day of college. He was describing the look on the professor's face as he lectured a younger version of himself, her hand on his shoulder as she giggled when the back door slides open and a tall gentleman with dark brown hair lets himself into the kitchen.

"Sorry, I'm not interrupting, am I?" he calls from his place next to the door, causing Donna to remove her hand from Harvey's shoulder and both of their eyes to dart towards him.

"Matthew, you came?" she smiles over at the man, hoping down from the counter and smoothing out the edges of her dress.

"I wouldn't miss his birthday…" he shrugs, hands in his pockets as he leaned back against the door.

"That didn't stop you last year…" she mumbles, just loud enough for Harvey to hear.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners, I'm Matthew, Donna's husband," he says with a wicked grin, extending his hand out for Harvey to shake.

"Ex-husband," Donna corrects, as Harvey extends his hand to shake Matthew's.

"Harvey -"

"Specter, holy shit, you've got to be kidding me!" Matthew chuckles, still holding Harvey's hand in a handshake position.

"I'm sorry, do we-?"

"Know each other?" Matthew finishes for him, "Matthew Bleaker, I was on the soccer team in high school. You probably don't remember me, I mean, Donna didn't until we met again in college but holy shit… Harvey Specter…" Matthew shakes his head in an ironic, cynical way that makes Donna's stomach turn.

_Harvey, you remember Matthew, right? He's on the soccer team with Thomas and a few other guys… You guys will probably run in similar circles._

Suddenly, it hits him, and he remembers Matthew from high school. He didn't run in their circle, but he was a jock who would sometimes attend the same parties. He didn't think he and Donna ever interacted back then but seeing her kids and the way they most definitely shared his eyes, and the last name, he should've put two and two together. She married someone they went to high school with. She went on to have everything with this guy, meanwhile he went off to college broken hearted. Yes, he met and married Claudia, and yes, Gordon came out of that marriage, but ever since that night in late August of senior year, there had been a Donna Paulsen sized whole in his heart that never mended.

"Wait a second," Matthew's eyes shift between the two of them, Harvey nervously shuffling his feet and avoiding both Matthew and Donna's gazes.

"Didn't you two date in high school?" he asks, looking more towards Donna than Harvey.

"Yes" she mumbles.

"How funny, a little high school reunion right here in the kitchen that I paid for."

"It's funny actually, I don't remember you two knowing each other back in high school," Harvey says, finally finding his voice and standing his ground.

"We didn't, we met in college" Donna answers him, send him an apologetic look, her eyes pooling with an emotion he doesn't recognize.

"You know, I didn't realize you two kept in touch," Matthew prods, taking a step closer to Harvey.

"Turns out our sons are in the same class, small world, huh" Harvey replies.

"How convenient for you two," Matthew snickers, his eyes glued on his ex-wife.

"I'd say fate had something to do with it," Donna jumps in, flashing Harvey a small, nervous smile.

"You never used to believe in fate," Matthew fires back, arms folded across his puffed-out chest.

"I guess I never had a reason too before now."

"Ah, well I can't stay long, just wanted to drop off my gift and say happy birthday to the squirt. Besides, I would hate to interrupt whatever_ this_ is" Matthew grins maliciously before turning and letting himself out the back door.

They stand in awkward silence for a few moments once Matthew leaves, neither knowing what to say next.

"I should-"

"I'm sorry-"

They speak at the same time and then mumble apologies and encourage the other to speak first. Donna finally gives in and begins, leaning back on her elbows as she speaks.

"I'm sorry, I never mentioned that my ex-husband was someone you knew," she blushes, unsure of whether or not her apology is needed but in the moment, it feels right.

"Why would you have?" he stares back at her, unsure of why she's apologizing for the life she went on to live after they broke up.

"I'm not sure, I feel like it would have come up, eventually."

"Eventually, we never really had a chance to talk about what happened… with our significant others" he whispers, taking a breath before the last part and making her heart skip a beat when she momentarily thinks he's going to finish the sentence with, "back then."

"We could save it for our date?" she jokes, trying to bring the light-heartedness back to their conversation that was present before Matthew interrupted.

"I met Claudia in my senior year of college, she was studying literature and if I'm being honest, she was the first women I ever dated, and seriously dated after you. We dated for a few years before we got engaged, got married and had Gordon. You would've liked her, she was kind-hearted, funny and she loved the theatre," he pauses to look up from his hands and notices she's listening intently.

"When she got sick, Gordon was still really young, and for a while, I didn't think I could do it on my own. But then, she left us, and I had no choice, I was all Gordon had. I was never able to take the ring off," he stares down at the gold band on his ring finger, "Because for years it reminded me that she would want me to be the best father I could to him. It served as a daily reminder that no matter how many times I doubted myself, I could do this, I could muddle through this thing we call life and everything was going to be alright. I haven't needed this ring to remind myself of that for years, and I guess I've finally realized that I've given Gordon the best life I could give him, and that's all I could do."

"I think you've done a wonderful job" she smiles softly, placing a reassuring hand on his forearm.

"Gordon adores you, you're a wonderful father," she adds.

"Sorry, I don't know why I just told you all that… I just thought that maybe I could tell you now because on our date I'd really like to talk about us."

"Us? We haven't talked about that in a while."

"I was hoping tomorrow, we could start," he replies with an earnest smile.

"I like the sound of that," she answers before they fall into a comfortable silence once again, both leaning back against her kitchen counter.

"We met in college, Matthew and I. We started dating right before I came to Yale, were engaged shortly after and the rest is well, history."

"It didn't work out?" he dares to ask the question he'd been dying to know the answer to since finding out she was divorced.

"It didn't. Turns out, I couldn't love him the way he wanted me to…"

"Oh."

"Yeah…"

"Hey Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad we ran into each other when we did. And for the record, you're an incredible mom."

"I guess we did alright for ourselves, didn't we?" she smirks up at him, turning her body to face him.

"I'd say so, who would've thought two kids from Boston would turn out so great," he says with that Cheshire Cat grin that stole her heart as a teen, and again as an adult.

"For the record, I'm really glad we ran into each other too."

"You are?" he peers down at her, taking the smallest step towards her, his hand sliding across the counter and brushing against hers.

"I am" she whispers as he takes another step, followed by another, now close enough that she can smell his cologne and watch his chest rise and fall with each breath.

"Donna, is it okay if I tell you that I've missed you?" he practically whispers, fingers ghosting over her own, face mere inches from her own, and for a second, time stands still and she's standing back in 1993 across from her boyfriend, Harvey.

A soft "Harvey" leaves her lips, but she doesn't pull away like he's expecting her to.

"You don't have to... say anything…"

"Harvey, I've missed you too," she whispers back, and his free hand finds its way to her hip, drawing her closer to him, his eyes searching hers for signs that he should stop but he doesn't find any.

"Does this feel serendipitous at all to you?" he adds, his nose brushing against hers, their breaths mingling despite the space between them still.

"There you are!" Rachel calls as she bursts through the back door and into the kitchen.

"I have been looking everywhere for you! We're ready for the cake," she continues to explain, failing to look up from the cell phone in her hand as she did so. When she finally does manage to peel her eyes away from her screen, she notices a blushing Donna and a caught looking Harvey standing about three feet apart, or more accurately, standing like they just jumped apart.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" she asks with a coy smile.

"Nope, we were just… looking for extra forks" Donna panics.

"And we found them, I'll bring them outside" Harvey offers with a grin, grabbing a pile of plastic forks off the counter and excusing himself.

"Forks… really?" Rachel cocks her head as she grills Donna.

"What?" Donna asks innocently, grabbing the superman themed cake out of the fridge.

"Donna Paulsen, I just caught you canoodling with your former lover at your son's birthday party you better give me the details right now!"

"I was not canoodling!" she protests, sticking candles into the cake.

"Puh-lease, you two had the guiltiest expressions on when I came in here, if I didn't know any better I'd assume I'd walked in on you two getting it on on top of the counter."

"There was no getting it on, we were just talking."

"With your tongues" Rachel winks obnoxiously.

"Are you done?"

"Are you going to tell me the truth?"

"There was no tongue, there wasn't even a kiss…" she sighs.

"But you wanted there to be!"

"Well, yeah. And there would've been if you had better timing or learned to knock!" Donna teases.

"Well I saw Matthew was here and I wasn't sure how that all played out so I didn't think I had a reason to knock" Rachel explains, taking the cake from Donna's hands.

"It all worked out" Donna answers, lighting the candles she'd placed around the cake.

"I'm glad."

"He told me he missed me Rach. That he wanted to talk about this, us."

"Donna, that's huge. Do you think he wants to give this another shot?"

"I hope so" she admits, as they slide the back door open and begin to sing Happy Birthday while making their way over to Jason with his cake.

As the sun begins to fade the party starts to wind down and guests begin leaving. Somehow, Harvey manages to avoid Donna's father for the duration of the party, but does find himself trapped in a conversation with her mother for the better part of an hour. Jason was thrilled about his surprise Superman cake and his excitement only grew when he got to open the pile of presents people brought for him. He seemed unphased that his father left early, choosing to focus on playing with his new fire truck from Jason and Harvey for most of the afternoon.

Amelia convinced Harvey to toss a ball with her for a while before joining the other kids at the pinata and eventually, Donna and Rachel were left with only Amelia, Jason, Harvey and Gordon, and a mess of a backyard.

"You didn't have to stick around you know?" Donna says as she joins him on the bench beneath the tree in the yard.

"Gordon's having a good time, though we should get going soon"

Rachel wandered over to where they were seated and seated herself on the end of the bench with an exhausted sigh.

"This" she gestures around to the mess covering the yard, "Is why I don't have kids."

"Speaking of things related to your love life, when is this mystery man picking you up?" Donna asks.

"He just texted me that he's here, I told him to come around to the back, you're going to love him" Rachel gushes as the backdoor slides open and a young, handsome man crosses the yard to join them.

"Hey babe" Rachel greets him with a delicate peck on the cheek before leading him the rest of the way across the yard.

"Donna, Harvey, this is…"

"Mike?"

"Harvey?"

"You two know each other?" Rachel looks back and forth between the two men.

"We work together at Columbia" Harvey explains.

"Wait, I'm confused" Mike says, looking between Harvey, Rachel and Donna, "How do you three know each other?"

"We went to high school together" Rachel tells him.

"Holy shit! Is this _that_ Donna? The one you spent hours planning a date for?"

"Mike" he warns beneath his breath.

"I'm guessing it went well?"

"It's tomorrow" he answers with a stern glare.

"Oh" Mike gulps, realizing he'd put his foot in his mouth.

"We should get going" Rachel interjects, tugging on Mike's arm and leading him towards the door.

"It was nice meeting you Donna!" he calls back over his shoulder as Rachel leads the way through the house.

"I can't believe you all know each other! He went on and on about her for hours the other day, she must be something special"

"You have no idea" Rachel pats his arm as they head to his car.

Back outside, Harvey and Gordon help tidy up before Harvey tells Gordon to grab his things so they can head home. Gordon protests slightly but eventually gives in to the yawn he was fighting and heads to grab his toys.

"So, my friend Mike and Rachel, what a small world," he laughs, shaking his head at the irony of it all.

"I'm learning the world is a lot smaller than I once thought," she laughs along.

"We should get going, I'm sure you have lines to rehearse or whatever it is you big stars do on Sunday nights."

"Laundry" she giggles harder, aware that her life as a mom was not nearly as glamorous as the life of a young starlet.

"Right, well, then maybe you'll have to rehearse for me sometime. I'm not sure if you remember, but I have a thing for actresses" he winks before calling to Gordon that it was time to go.

"I remember," she blushes, wrapping her arms around her torso.

"But I also remember how much you hated Shakespeare!"

"I did not, 'There's a tide in the affairs of men', and all that jazz."

"And all that jazz, that's a direct quote, right?" she teases before Gordon is at Harvey's side and ready to go.

"What do you say to Donna for having us?" Harvey asks him.

"Thank you" Gordon beams up at her.

"You can come over anytime Gordon," she responds.

"Pick you up tomorrow? 7 o'clock?" he asks before turning to leave.

"It's a date" she grins.

"Goodnight Donna" he whispers, placing a quick kiss on her cheek, "Happy Birthday buddy," he pats Jason's head before extended his hand to high five Amelia. He follows Gordon out of the yard towards the car where he buckles him into the back seat.

"Dad?" Gordon asks before Harvey can shut the car door.

"Yeah buddy?"

"Do you like Jason's mom?"

"Well of course I like Jason's mom, we're friends," he explains.

"Noooo, I mean, do you like like her?"

"What makes you think I like like her?"

"You smile a lot when she's there, I like it when you smile," the young boy explains.

"I like when I smile too Buddy. If I did, like like her, would that be okay with you?"

"Yes, that would be okay. She's nice, and she has really pretty hair."

"She does, doesn't she?"

.

.

**Upper West Side, 2013**

She'd spent the entire evening rushing around between her closet and her bedroom searching for something to wear. Rehearsal had run late and thankfully Rachel was around to pick the kids up from school, but she still had an hour less than she thought she would have to get ready for her date with Harvey.

A date.

With Harvey.

The eighteen-year-old version of herself suddenly had a hold of her heart as it raced, her stomach filling with butterflies.

Who would've thought that twenty years after things ended she would be getting ready for a date with Harvey Specter.

All afternoon she'd been scatterbrained, forgetting lines she'd long since memorized, missing her mark and forgetting to bring her morning coffee with her when she left for work. All she could think about was their date later. Harvey wouldn't tell her where he was taking her, only that he was picking her up at seven and that she was to bring a sweater and dress nice. Which lead to her current problem, she had absolutely no idea what to wear.

She hadn't gone on many dates since she and Matthew separated, but she had gone out on the odd coffee date or for girls' nights with Rachel. Suddenly, the outfits should would normally wear to one of those things didn't seem to be enough and she sat with her hair curled and her makeup half done, frustrated on her bed. Harvey was going to be there to drop off Gordon soon, and Rachel should be arriving any minute to babysit the kids yet she couldn't bring herself to finish getting ready.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Amelia asks as she wanders into Donna's room, where her mother is lying in a robe on her bed, defeated.

"I'm looking for a dress" Donna explains, patting the bed telling Amelia to join her.

"For your date?" her daughter asks innocently.

"Who told you I had a date?" she stares back at the young girl confused. She hadn't told her kids about her evening plans, only that Auntie Rachel would be babysitting them while she went out.

"Aunt Rachel" Amelia answers with a grin, "She said to come and help you get ready so you aren't late."

"She did, did she?" Donna questions, wondering how she didn't hear Rachel when she must have let herself in.

"So, can I?"

"Can you what baby?" Donna asks, running her fingers through Amelia's wild curls.

"Help you get ready for your date?"

"Of course you can," Donna smiles, pulling her in for a side hug, "Why don't we see if we can find a nice dress for mommy to wear?"

"Okay" Amelia grinned, hopping down off the bed and heading towards the closet.

"Mom?" Amelia pauses and turns around before she reaches the closet.

"Yes?"

"Is your date with Gordon's dad?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because Jason says you have a crush on him," she answers as if it's the world's most obvious fact.

"Did he?" Donna can't help but chuckle at her kid's intuition.

"Yes" Amelia nods.

"Yes, my date is with Gordon's dad, is that okay?" Donna asks, leading her daughter into her walk-in closet and rifling through a few old dresses.

"Yes, that's good because he has a crush on you too."

"How do you know he has a crush on me?" she stares back at her daughter while holding up a blue dress that Amelia shakes her head 'no' at.

"He told us."

"Harvey told you he had a crush on me?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"At the birthday party. He asked me and Jason if it would be okay to bring you on a date because he had a crush on you, but he made us promise not to tell you until after the date," Amelia explains, now looking through an old bin of clothes at the bottom of the closet.

"Oh," Donna blushes before resuming her outfit search. She can't believe he asked her kids if it would be okay to take her out. If she wasn't falling for him already, she sure was falling now. He'd always been a sweet guy, ensuring her dad he would have her home by her curfew (even though he would sometimes sneak in through her window once she was home), matching her corsage to her dress when he took her to prom, even taking her to prom in tenth grade when her date stood her up.

"What about this one?" Amelia asks, holding up a simple black cocktail dress from the bin. The dress had short sleeves and fell just below her knee, while the form fitting black material once highlighted her figure.

"I don't know if that one still fits," she explains, eyeing the dress from her pre-children days.

"Try it on" Amelia urges, placing the dress in her mother's hands.

Donna disappears into the bathroom and re-emerges a few moments later wearing the black dress that perfectly fit her. She smiled as she caught her reflection in the mirror and held out her hands to show Amelia the result.

"Well?"

"You look like a princess!" Amelia beams up at her mother.

Donna finishes getting ready with Amelia's help. She applies the rest of her makeup and finishes the look with a coat of red lipstick, which Amelia also convinces her to put on her. She grabs a pair of nude pumps from the closet and tosses her curls back over her shoulder before heading downstairs to see Rachel.

Rachel whistles when she walks into the kitchen and she gives a small twirl to show off her outfit. Amelia and Jason both gather at the kitchen table and snack on cookies Rachel put out for them as Donna pours herself a small glass of wine and chats with Rachel.

"He's not going to know what hit him, you look hot," Rachel gushes just as the doorbell rings and Jason sprints down the hall towards it, Rachel following close behind him.

"Harvey!" Jason greets him, whipping the door open before Rachel can warn him about opening the door for strangers.

"Hey buddy!" he greets, following Gordon into the hall and closing the door behind him.

"Are those flowers for mom? Because she looks like a princess," Amelia chimes in, eyeing the roses in Harvey's hand.

"Can I tell you another secret?" Harvey whispers, motioning for the kids to come closer, "Your mom always looks like a princess."

"And if you guys are really good for Rachel, Gordon has some special snacks in his backpack," he adds, looking up to find Rachel smirking back at him.

"What?" he asks, knowing she heard his comment about Donna always looking like a princess.

"Nothing." She says, smirk growing wider, "Why don't you two take Gordon inside and get him a plate for some of those cookies?" she suggests.

"Bye dad!" Gordon gives his leg a quick squeeze before trailing after Amelia and Jason into the kitchen.

When he finally spots her walking towards him, in a stunning black dress, he swears his heart is beating so fast she can hear it across the room. He takes a moment to catch his breath and nervously tucks his free hand into his pocket.

"You look…. Beautiful" he blushes, eyes falling to his shoes before he looks up and sees her cheeks are as red as his feel.

"Are those for me?" she stares at the roses in his hand.

"They are, there's twenty," he explains as she takes them.

"Don't roses usually come by the dozen?" she inquires, sniffing the bouquet.

"They do, I actually took four out to make it twenty. I figured it's been twenty years since our last date, we should kick start our next one right."

Her lips pucker and she fights back the tears threatening to run down her cheek at his action; he truly was out to steal her heart today.

"Should we get going?" he asks, holding out his arm so she can slip her hand through it.

"You still haven't told me where you're taking me!" she giggles as they head onto the porch.

"It's still a surprise," he grins, shutting the door behind them, his hand hovering over her lower back as they cross the porch.

As soon as the door clicks shut, she stops walking towards his car and turns to face him, his hand coming to rest on her lower back completely.

"You asked my kid's if you could take me to dinner?" she states, rather than asks, looking up at him with adoring eyes.

"I thought it was more fitting than asking your parents" he smirked, his hand guiding her closer to him.

"Harvey I-"

She's cut off when he leans in and places a kiss on her cheek, the feel of his lips against her skin setting every nerve in her body on fire. He steps back and begins to lead the way to the car once again and she follows, speechless.

Part of her wished he would've actually kissed her, but the other part of her knows if he had, they wouldn't make it to wherever he was taking her.

.

.

**Boston, 1993**

**Prom Night**

_"You look like a total princess!" Rachel squealed as Donna stepped out of the bathroom wearing her emerald prom dress, complete with a puffy skirt and a bow at the waistline._

_"Says you!" Donna calls back, looking at Rachel's pale pink dress that dropped just below her knees and was a shiny, silky, material._

_"Harvey is going to freak when he sees you!"_

_"He will not!"_

_"He will, Don, you look hot. You guys are going to be the hottest couple there," Rachel points out, applying another layer of blush in Donna's bedroom mirror._

_"What about you and Danny?"_

_"Puh-lease, we all know I'll be going home with Trenton Michaels," Rachel smirks at her own reflection._

_"You're ridiculous," Donna laughs, applying her own makeup behind Rachel._

_"And I've been to prom with Harvey once before," she adds, as if their impromptu prom attendance two years prior was relevant to Rachel's comment about Harvey freaking out when he saw her._

_"But you weren't dating, it's different…"_

_"How?"_

_"You couldn't just go for it back then, you know? Well, I mean you could've but you two wouldn't have."_

_"Go for what?"_

_"**It** Donna! Jeez! You know, you couldn't just make a move because you felt like it. Couldn't kiss him because the moment just felt right. Couldn't dance with him…"_

_"I danced with him!" Donna protests._

_"Not the way I'm talking about. Do me a favour, don't be afraid to go for it tonight, just go with what feels right," Rachel says and Donna nods, agreeing to whatever Rachel meant by telling her to go for it._

_._

_"You look…wow" Harvey breathes when he spots Donna coming down the stairs._

_He's waiting by the door with her parents and Rachel's date, Danny, corsage in hand. His green bowtie matches the shade of her dress almost identically, and he can't help but smirk when he spots the necklace he gave her for her last birthday hanging around her neck._

_"You think so?" she twirls, showing off her skirt._

_"Absolutely" he smiles, sliding the white corsage onto her wrist._

_"Alright, let's get a picture you two!" Donna's mom instructs, ushering the two of them together for an awkward photo._

_Danny had offered to drive the group and the girls happily compared their corsages as they made their way to Danny's beat up old car that was parked up the road. Before they reached the car, Harvey's arm found its place around Donna's waist and he pulled her into his side as they walked._

_"What I meant to say back there, was you look incredible."_

_"Nice save, Specter. You don't look so bad yourself," she leans up on her toes to kiss his cheek._

_._

_"Wise men say, only fools rush in," he sings into her ear and he holds her in his arms, swaying them to the music in the middle of the dance floor._

_"But I can't help…"_

_He pulls her in even tighter, her head resting in the nape of his neck, arms wrapped around his neck and teasing at the baby hairs along the back of it._

_"Falling in love"_

_She lifts her head and her eyes find his, a smile breaking out across her face as he whispers the final line in her ear._

_"With you"_

_He leans down and presses a kiss to her lips, and she pulls him flush against her body, urging him to kiss her harder. He tightens his hold on her waist and pulls her up towards him, her feet temporarily leaving the ground, while their lips never part. When they finally break apart she rests both hands on his chest while studying the goofy grin that's plastered across his face._

_"Has anyone ever told you that you look handsome in a tux?" she flirts, straightening his bowtie._

_"Have I told you how much I love you yet today?"_

_"You can always tell me again."_

_"I..love..you…" he mumbles between kisses._

_"What do you say we get out of here?" she smirks, tugging him away from the dance floor._

_"Donna Paulsen, are you suggesting we ditch the end of the prom?"_

_"You shouldn't have kissed me like that if you didn't have intentions of getting out of here," she calls over her shoulder as he followed her off the dance floor and out of the gym._

.

.

**Midtown, 2013**

"Okay, open your eyes," he instructs, leading her away from the car, her eyes forced shut as instructed.

"Harvey-" she whispers, looking up at the illuminated Del Posto sign in front of them.

"I promised that I'd take you here one day, when we both made it, I think we finally made it," he says, reaching down and squeezing her hand.

They're seated at a table in the back corner, candlelight illuminating both of their faces as they settle into telling stories about their college days. Donna tells Harvey the Yale party story Rachel recently shared with her and he tells her he wished he'd run into her that night, that seeing her that night could have changed his whole life.

The conversation leads into stories of their high school days and for the first time since running into each other, they find themselves talking about a time when they were once in love. It's not as hard to bring up stories from that year as she expected, and the next thing she knows they're laughing about the time Donna's dad busted Harvey for climbing into Donna's room after her curfew.

"He was so mad! I should've just jumped out the window!" Harvey laughs, sipping at his wine.

"From the second floor?"

"It would've been less painful than the lecture from your dad!"

"He wasn't that hard on you." Donna giggles.

"He threatened to murder me."

"But he didn't!"

Their meal arrives and they both dig in, taking breaks between bites to share some of their favourite high school memories. For Harvey, it was winning the state championship, for Donna, it was her opening night as the lead in the school's production.

He watches as she scrunches her nose when she laughs, the candlelight painting her face in a light that showcases just how beautiful she really was. It was surreal, being here with her.

Listening to her reminisce about the good old days, draws him back to a time when he would have done anything for her. Watching her now, he knows that nothing has changed. It may have been a few decades but the way he felt about her hadn't changed. She had grown up, but he still saw the young girl he fell in love with back in 1993. The girl he spent hours dreaming about was now reaching for his hand beneath the table, and he had to squeeze her hand to know he wasn't dreaming.

She tossed her hair back over her shoulder as she leaned towards him, "We really are getting a second chance at this, aren't we?"

"We really are," he grins, his eyes finding hers and softening with his smile.

"To second chances," she raises her glass, "To second chances," he clinks his against hers.

"Donna, what happened back then…"

"Let's talk about it another time, tonight let's just enjoy getting to know each other again," she cuts him off.

"Tell me about this play," he asks while they wait for their dessert.

"Well, it's my first opportunity at a real role, and I think it's perfect for me. I've always loved being up on that stage, and rehearsing the lines, trying on the costumes and getting to learn from some of the best, it's really changed my life. I never thought I'd get here, but looking back on it, I'm so glad I took the chance when I did."

"You always were a natural on that stage. Maybe I can come see the show?" he asks.

"I would love that," she smiles.

"Does that mean there's going to be a second date?"

"And a third, if you're lucky," she winks across the table at him.

"You haven't changed a bit," he chuckles.

"I've changed plenty," she protests.

"You've grown up, but you haven't changed."

"How so?"

"Well for starters, you still crinkle your nose when you flirt. And your laugh, it still takes me back to that time we broke into the community pool after hours and got caught. You still say hmm when you're searching for the right word to finish a sentence and don't even get me started on the fact that you somehow got more beautiful."

She blushes down at her dessert before speaking, "You haven't changed much either. But somehow, you've gotten more romantic."

"Careful, you'll fall for my charm."

"I fell for it twenty years ago, what makes you think I haven't learned since then?"

"Guess I'm hoping you'll fall for it again," he smirks, placing a bite of his dessert in his mouth.

They finish up their meal and Harvey pays the bill before walking around the table to pull out Donna's chair before his palm finds its place on her lower back and he guides them out of the restaurant towards his car. She relaxes into his touch as he guides her towards the vehicle, leaning her head on his shoulder as she laughs at an old memory. When they finally make it to the car, he opens her door before pausing, not wanting to remove his hand from her back just yet.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you only get so many great loves in a lifetime and I'd be lying if I said I ever felt anything remotely close to how I felt about you in high school with anyone else. You make it easy to be myself around you and I would really like to take you out again this week."

"I think I'm pretty busy with rehearsals but I can probably pencil you in," she flirts, leaning towards his body and away from the car, seeing as he had her trapped between the two.

She tilts her head upwards, hoping for the kiss she'd been waiting for since they first stopped onto her porch but instead, he taps the hood of the car and rounds it to get into the driver's side. She tries to put the thought out of her mind as they make their way through the city streets, the lights whizzing past her window in a blur of blues and yellows, as they continued their previous conversation about some of their former classmates and what they were up to now.

Once they arrive at her house, they slowly wander up the driveway, neither wanting the night to end just yet. Donna stops and turns on her heels before she reaches the front steps, and Harvey follows her lead and pauses a few feet away from her.

"I had a really nice night," she says, awkwardly shuffling her feet in place.

"Me too" he mumbles, fiddling with his thumbs.

"So, we're on again for Thursday?" she asks, stepping towards him.

"Thursday," he repeats, mirroring her actions and stepping closer to her.

"Right," she says, peering up at him beneath her eyelashes.

"Right," he repeats again and all she can hear is Rachel's advice from twenty years ago in the back of her head screaming "just go with what feels right" and next thing she knows she's grabbing him by the jacket and pulling him in for a kiss.

Time stops the moment his lips connect with hers, it's a feeling of comfort and déjà vu but mixed with an unfamiliar need that washes over them both. What begins as a slow and sensual kiss quickly becomes sloppy and desperate, his hands tugging her towards him, her hands running through his hair while their tongues sought each other out and the kiss deepened. He gently tugs on her lower lip and she moans softly into his mouth, her sudden need for him becoming all consuming. They part momentarily to catch their breath but within seconds his lips are meeting hers with equally tenacity and hunger. There is nothing romantic about the kiss, but rather it is fueled by twenty years of pent up longing and unresolved feelings, and she feels every nerve in her body come alive at his touch. His hands work their way down her body, sculpting her figure and appreciating each curve while she focuses on his back muscles.

When they part again, he rests his nose against hers while they both pant in attempt to catch their breath. It had been years since kissing anyone had left him feeling so breathless, yet that kiss simultaneously filled his lungs with air that made him feel alive in ways he didn't know possible.

"I've been waiting nearly twenty years to kiss you like that."

"I hope it was worth the wait."

"You will always be worth the wait," he answers, his hand cupping the back of her head as he pulls her in for another kiss, desperate to feel her lips on his again.

Eventually, they realize they're still standing in the center of her lawn and he tugs her towards the side of the house, trapping her between the brick wall and his body before his lips come crashing down on hers once more.

"Why are we hiding at the side of my house like teenagers afraid to get caught?" she mumbles between kisses.

"Because our kids are inside, and it was either this or we go make out in my car," he answers between the kisses he begins trailing down her neck.

"How nostalgic," she giggles, her hands running down the length of his torso.

"We should get inside," she whispers, letting out a small whimper as he finds her favourite spot beneath her ear and nips at it.

"We should?"

"I don't put out on the first date," she teases, "Besides, if we don't stop now, we'll end up with a really funny story about that time we were caught hooking up at the side of my house."

"Wouldn't be the weirdest place we were caught," he raises an eyebrow at her and she playfully swats at his chest.

"Alright, we can go inside," he says, stepping away from her so she can walk towards the house.

He grabs her hand once she's taken a few strides and spins her back into his chest so he can kiss her once again. She gives in to the kiss, tugging at his shirt while his hands drop to her hips.

"Sorry, I guess I just needed one last kiss" he whispers once her releases her.

Several minutes later, when they finally make it to the door, they find Rachel and the three kids lying in the living room watching Lady and the Tramp, Amelia falling asleep on Rachel's shoulder. Harvey motions for Gordon to join him at the door and Jason follows sleepily.

"Did you have fun mom?" he smiles up at her.

"I did buddy, why don't you say good night and I'll come read you a story in a minute?"

Jason nods and waves goodnight to Harvey and Gordon before slowly making his way to his bedroom. Harvey scoops up an equally as tired Gordon and balances him on his hip while tossing his backpack over his free shoulder.

"I had a really nice time tonight," he says, knowing full well that Rachel was paying attention to their conversation from the other room.

"Me too," she answers.

"See you Thursday?"

"Absolutely," she replies and before she has time to react he's covering Gordon's eyes, which makes Gordon giggle as he leans in and places an innocent kiss on her lips.

"Good night Donna," he smiles before seeing himself out, leaving her standing in the hallway with a dopey grin plastered across her face.

Gordon falls asleep almost instantaneously, leaving Harvey alone with his thoughts as he makes his way back to Brooklyn, the smile on his face unwavering. His mind wanders back to their dinner conversation, and he can't believe how easily they'd fallen back into their natural rhythm. Talking to her was easy and he was floored by how quickly they settled into conversations with their usual quick-witted banter. He was so nervous before picking her up, this being the first real date he'd gone on since Claudia but now he was left wondering why he was nervous in the first place, she made everything feel so simple, she always had.

And then there was that kiss, and the series of kisses that followed it. He can't remember the last time a kiss made him feel so alive. But kissing Donna Paulsen was like coming up for fresh air after floundering in the ocean. It stirred up an assortment of memories and feelings he'd long since forgotten and he was elated. He replayed that moment she pulled him into her over and over as he made his way through the city, smile growing as he replayed the way his body crashed into hers against the brick wall.

What made this night even better was finding out she was on the same page. She agreed to go out with him again, and that in its own was enough to merit a good night.

He scoops Gordon into his arms and carries him into the house, tucking him into his bed with a kiss on the head. He heads into the kitchen and pours himself a drink before sitting down at the table, too wired to head to bed just yet. He was dating Donna Paulsen, and it both thrilled and terrified him to his core.

He couldn't mess it up this time. She was it for him, and he was going to make sure that she knew it.

Back in her kitchen, Donna pours herself a drink while Rachel eyes her suspiciously from her seat at the kitchen table. Her heart was still soaring after that last kiss, despite its innocence and she's suddenly overcome with emotion and happiness. The date had far exceeded her expectations, the conversation free flowing and she found it effortless to be herself while enjoying his company. And that kiss. My god, she was going to dream about this kiss for weeks. It simultaneously made her feel eighteen again while making her feel like she hadn't been kissed properly in years; it made her feel alive.

She can't remember craving anyone the way she was currently craving kissing him again but here she was, wanting to feel his lips pressed against her skin again, his hands on her body. Her kids had both been tucked in and she'd successfully avoided Rachel's prodding while she changed out of her dress into something more comfortable. She knew Rachel couldn't hold out with the questions much longer, but she was enjoying replaying her night in her head while she downed her glass of wine.

"So?"

"Go on, fire away" she shrugs, knowing that it would be faster to answer Rachel's questions now and get the conversation over with.

"Was it awkward?"

"Not at all. It felt like I was back in high school. Talking to him was so easy, it all just felt so familiar, so right" she gushes.

"Are you going to see him again?"

"Thursday" Donna grins and Rachel can't help but squeal at Donna's excitement. She hadn't seen her friend smitten over anyone in years and she was thrilled for her, even if she was weary on the whole Harvey front.

"And? Was he a better kisser than you remembered?"

"Absolutely" Donna breathes, her mind flushed with images of his hands in her hair, her arms trailing down his back.

"I want every detail" Rachel exclaims, pouring them each another glass of wine.

.

.

Finally tucked into her bed after another hour of filling Rachel in on every detail of their date, she pulls out her phone and notices she has a message from Harvey.

**Harvey: I had a great time tonight. I want to kiss you again.**

**Donna: I did too. It's never too late to climb through my window like the good old days 😉**

**Harvey: We both know how that would end…**

**Donna: I want to kiss you again too.**

**Harvey: Sweet dreams Donna xx**

**Donna: Good night Harvey xx**

**.**

**.**

**Boston, 1993**

_"Where are you taking me?!" she shrieked, his hand held over her eyes as he slowly walked her away from his car and in the direction of the restaurant._

_"You'll see, just a few more steps" he coaches her forward, keeping his free hand over her eyes while the other guided her by the waist._

_"Harveyyyyy, I hate surprises." she extends her lower lip in a pout._

_"Good, because you're impossible to surprise." he points out and she can't object, in the three years they'd been friends he was only ever to successfully surprise her once, twice if you counted tonight._

_Tonight was their first official date and Donna was dressed up in a pink summer's dress that tied up around her neck, her hair in loose curls, framing her freckled face. They had officially become an item the week prior, with Harvey's sudden outburst in which he told her he loved her, and she told him she felt the same way. The week had become a blur of late-night phone calls and make-out sessions, both trying to make up for the years lost when they pretended that they were nothing more than friends._

_Harvey had insisted that he wanted to take her out on a real, official, first date and that the location was to be a surprise. After consulting with his father, he decided to take her to the most expensive restaurant he could afford, The Olive Garden. He knew it was no Del Posto, a restaurant she often went on about, claiming that someday when she was rich and famous she and her husband would dine there, but he figured it was the next best thing._

_Once they reached the sidewalk adjacent to the restaurant, he dropped his hand from her eyes and instructed her to open them, revealing the neon green lettering that illuminated nearly the entire block._

_"Surprise! I know it's not the fanciest but it comes with a promise," he begins to explain, taking her hand in his and leading her into the restaurant._

_"One day, I'm going to take you out to a really fancy dinner, so I can tell you all the things I love about you while they serve us some ridiculously expensive wine and wonder how we can afford such a nice place. But you're going to be an actress and maybe I'll be some kind of lawyer for athletes, or a MLB star, or both! Then we can go home to our massive house in our fancy clothes and we can complain about how small the portion sizes were before I kiss you goodnight and we let that kiss make us forget about everything we were just complaining about."_

_"Wow, you've really planned that out, huh?" she smiles, following the server to their table in the far corner of the restaurant._

_"Well, yeah," he shrugs, sliding into the orange leather booth opposite her._

_They flip through the menus and order two iced teas while they decide on what food to order, browsing in an awkward silence. Donna is the first to break the silence with a slight cough, looking across the table at him, in his navy quarter zip sweater, and smiling softly at him._

_"Soooo, we're really on a date" she clicks her tongue against her cheek, trying to start a conversation that will slice through some of the awkwardness, but not knowing where to begin._

_They'd been friends for years and had never run out of things to talk about, yet suddenly she couldn't think of a single thing to say._

_"We are," he answers, an equal awkwardness hanging in his voice._

_"What should we talk about?" she tries, fiddling with her napkin in her lap._

_"God" he sighs, "This shouldn't be so hard, we hangout all the time!"_

_"Maybe we weren't meant to date?"_

_"Donna, kissing you makes me feel-"_

_"I know, me too."_

_"We were definitely meant to date," he reasons, folding his hands over his lap._

_"Then why is this so weird?" she asks._

_"Maybe we just need to relax, it's us after all… Why don't you tell me about yesterday's rehearsal?"_

_She began telling him about the Wizard of Oz rehearsal from the previous day, which included a story about how the kid playing the Tin Man tripped and nearly face planted off the stage, which caused him to laugh. She began describing her new costume, she was playing Dorothy and he loved how animatedly she talked about the role, her first big role in a school production._

_The conversation flowed freely after that, and they talked about everything from mutual friends, to baseball and the waiter's funny hair cut. Donna decided to order a lasagna, but ended up liking Harvey's penne alfredo better so he switched with her, teasing her about always trying to steal his food._

_He decides to order them a slice of strawberry cheesecake, despite her protests that she didn't want dessert, and he can't help but smirk when she eats nearly the entire slice, knowing he knew her better than anyone. He can't help but stare at her with adoring eyes as she takes the last bite, a stare that does not go unnoticed._

_"What?" she smirks over at him, watching his eyes as they fixate on her lips._

_"Nothing, it's just you have a little…" he reaches across the table and uses his thumb to wipe away the whipped cream resting on her lower lip._

_"Thanks," she blushes down at her lap, his touch sending a shiver through her body._

_"Shall we?" he jokes, getting up and holding out a hand for her to take._

_They swing their intertwined hands as they head to his car, both grinning from ear to ear. He lifts his arm to twirl her as they cross the street towards his car, and she giggles as she spins herself beneath his outstretched arm, coming to rest curled into his side until they reach the vehicle._

_"You know what I just realized!" she yells before hopping into the passenger seat._

_"What?"_

_"We were at an Italian place and we didn't order spaghetti and meatballs! We could have been like Lady and the Tramp!"_

_"You wanted me to push a meatball across the plate with my nose?" he snorts, starting the car._

_"We could've shared a noodle until our lips met in the middle, it would have been so romantic!"_

_"Guess we'll have to save that one for our next date," he continues to laugh, shaking his head at her ridiculous antics._

_"You assume we're going to have a next date," she teases._

_He leans across the front seat at her words, cupping her cheek and placing a slow, tender kiss on her lips. He takes his time with the kiss, allowing his lower lip to patiently run along hers before settling on a spot and meeting hers. He returns to his own seat after the kiss and she's left speechless, her fingers trailing over her lower lip._

_"Right, on our second date," she mumbles, still slightly shaken by how his impromptu kiss made her feel._

_The drive back to her house is filled with laughter and she smiles at the fact that they've somehow managed to push past the awkward and enjoy their date. He leads her to her door and nervously shuffles his feet while he says goodnight and she knows he's waiting for the right moment to kiss her._

_"Harvey?" she interrupts his mumbled speech about having a good time at dinner, "You can kiss me now."_

_He blushes at her instruction and takes his hands out of his pockets, stepping towards her and placing one hand on her hip before leaning in and kissing her. She places her hands on his shoulder to steady herself when he pulls back from the first kiss and she pulls him back in for a second, not quite ready to say goodnight. They stay like that for a few moments, kissing on her porch until the porch light flicks on, most likely her father's doing, and he mumbles a goodnight before running his hand through her hair and heading back towards his car._

_He waits until she's safely inside before allowing himself to flail his arms over his head in excitement, the only way he can express how he's feeling after that date. He sings along with the radio until he gets home and finds Marcus waiting up for him in the living room, a knowing smile painted across his face._

_"How was the date?" he pries, his voice dripping with sarcasm._

_"It was fine."_

_"Right, that's why you're grinning like an idiot" he teases before Harvey can sneak off to his room._

_"Oh Harvey?" Marcus calls after him, "Donna called and left a message for you. She said she can't wait for your second date?"_

_The grin on Harvey's face somehow widens as he takes the stairs to his room two at a time. She really was something else, Donna, and for some reason he got to be the lucky fool that was in love with her._

_._

_._

**New York City, 2013**

The days following their first date they fell into a natural rhythm, stepping into a familiar routine from nearly twenty years prior. Rather than waiting until Thursday to see her again, she woke up to a good morning text and an invitation to meet him for coffee before she headed to work, and his first class began. She met him at a coffee shop up the street from the theater and he wasted no time, greeting her with a soft 'hello', immediately placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

What was supposed to be a quick half hour coffee date turned into a two-hour reminiscing session, as they went from discussing some more of their favourite high school memories to telling each other more about their college days. Donna told Harvey about how hard her decision to quit her journalism program to pursue acting had been, and how against it her mother was. In turn, Harvey filled Donna in on how Marcus was doing. He told her how he, Marcus and Mike played in a baseball league on Wednesdays and that once their new season started, she would have to come to a game and say hello to Marcus. He held her hand over the table while they sat and shared stories, her thumb tracing circles on the back of his palm as the early morning sun shone brighter and the afternoon began to creep up on them.

When he could no longer delay leaving for work, he walked her back to the theatre, her hand secured in his while they strolled down the street, enjoying the sunny morning and the cool breeze that accompanied the late fall.

"This is it," she gestures to the large brown building on the corner, the large banners outside plastered with posters of her and her co-stars, the sign at the front reading "Waitress Opening Soon."

"Well, I knew you were a big deal but wow, I didn't know I was dating such a big celebrity," his eyes trail over to the posters and she blushes at his use of the term dating.

"So, we're dating now huh?"

"Well… I mean… only if… yes? I mean, I just assumed since… Do you want to be?" his face flushes and he stuffs his hands into his pockets nervously.

"I'm just teasing you," her lips break into a smile, "And yes."

"Imagine if we'd been this way all those years ago?" she adds.

"What way is that?" he asks.

"Being so upfront about our feelings. Maybe we wouldn't have wasted all that time pretending there was nothing here," she gestures between them, "If we would have tried this back then."

"I guess this time we shouldn't waste any time," he replies, leaning down to kiss her goodbye.

The kiss is simple and over too quickly, in her opinion, but much like their first kiss from the night before, it's sets her lips on fire and causes her soul to dance.

"I don't know if you have a late rehearsal, but Gordon has a game tonight, at 8:30, and he suggested that I invite you, and the kids of course, to come watch," he nervously drags his hand through his hair as he stepped back.

"See you at 8:30!" she calls over her shoulder before skipping into the theatre, allowing herself to succumb to the lovesick teenage feelings that are making her giddy.

Her kids were thrilled to hear they would be going to Gordon's baseball game and spent the entire car ride to Brooklyn practicing a cheer. Seated on the same bleachers she sat on mere days before, they cheered along with the other spectators as the game began and Harvey, who was the coach of the team, tossed a wink at Donna before instructing his first batter to take the field.

Seeing this side of him only furthered her interest in him. He was wonderful with Gordon but watching as he instructed his son's team, she realized he was good with all of the kids, and the kids all seemed to adore him. Midway through the game, while both teams were taking a water break, he climbed the bleachers with spare hats for both Jason and Amelia with the team's logo embroidered on the front, making each of them squeal with excitement.

After the game ended, they joined Gordon on the field while Harvey and Donna discussed taking everyone on a picnic after her rehearsal on Wednesday, since his baseball season had come to an end. The kids all got along swimmingly and were excited to hear they would be spending time together again, and Jason excitedly told Harvey about his plans to practice and join a baseball team the following year before Donna told them they had to get home and get to bed. He managed to sneak in a small goodnight kiss before she got in the car, though not sneaky enough it went unnoticed by her kids, who spent the duration of the ride home asking her if she loved Gordon's dad. A question she avoided despite knowing the answer; her feelings from decades prior resurfacing with each passing moment, making her realize she'd never loved someone the way she loved him. It was fast, to have these thoughts swirling around in her mind and that fact both terrified and excited her because she had a sneaking suspicion that he felt the same way.

She had a long workday Tuesday, beginning at 7:30am and scheduled to end at 9pm, she was already dreading how tired she would be at the day's end when she wandered into her dressing room just before 7. Rachel was looking after the kids and she'd been in such a rush to get here, she left her cell phone in her car and wouldn't have time to grab it until they broke for lunch, another thing contributing to her foul mood. Sleepily, she tosses her purse onto a chair and notices a small box sitting on her desk that wasn't there the day before.

Taking the lid off the box, she pulls out a small plaque with words engraved across the front and a note flutters to the floor. Retrieving the note, she reads the plaque before the letter and she immediately knows who it's from before even turning the note over.

.

**You said I didn't like Shakespeare back then. I didn't, but I liked you and you liked Shakespeare. A little something for your dressing room. – H**

**(Ps. Good thing I didn't become a lawyer)**

**.**

Grinning, she places it down on her desk and heads to rehearsal, her bad mood erased by his simple thoughtful action. She can't believe he remembered her favourite line, especially when she'd only told him once in the tenth grade.

_First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers._

_._

On Wednesday evening, Harvey texted her and told her he would pick her and the kids up for their picnic because he had a surprise planned for them. The five of them piled into his car, Harvey and Donna in the front, catching up on the past few days while the kids excitedly tried to figure out where they were headed in the backseat.

Pulling up outside an old firehouse, she eyes him suspiciously, wondering what he could possibly be up to.

"Alrighty, everybody out," he calls, helping the kids out of the backseat.

"Dad, where are we?!" Gordon asks, bouncing excitedly.

"Yeah Harvey, what's the surprise?" Jason chimes in, equally as excited as Gordon.

"My friend David used to work as a firefighter, so I asked him if he could take us for a ride on a fire truck" Harvey explains and Gordon and Jason both scream, suddenly overcome with excitement.

"We get to ride on a real live fire truck?!" Jason looks up at Harvey, wide-eyed.

"We sure do buddy!"

His friend David comes out to greet them and all three kids make a beeline for the truck where he shows them where the fire hoses and the bells are located. He and Donna trail behind them as they flitted from the front to the back of the truck, the backs of their hands grazing as their steps bring them closer together. They pause behind the kids, watching as David teaches them about the truck, his hand getting closer to hers as he leans towards her, her breath hitching in her throat at the anticipation of him taking her hand. She watches as Gordon's eyes light up when it's his turn to ring the bell, Amelia helping him up on the truck, and then helping Jason do the same, and her heart races as she watches their kids get along so well. Watching their kids together, his hand finally slips between hers, and a smile settles over her lips as it does.

The kids are filled with energy after their ride on the truck, and their picnic quickly turns into a game of catch followed by a round of tag, during which Harvey and Donna find every excuse to be near each other while the kids giggle and play in the grass. Dropping the Paulsens (or the Bleakers in her kids' case) off at home, both Jason and Amelia give Harvey a huge hug and thank him for taking them to see a fire truck before scampering into the house wearing massive grins. She kisses him goodnight before following them into the house and, when they ask her if Gordon's dad is her boyfriend, she says yes.

She falls asleep texting him that night, thanking him for surprising both her and her kids and for their little family-friendly date night. Their conversation moves into discussing details for their date on Friday and when she tells him she should get some rest he responds by asking her what she was wearing at the moment, which nearly makes her drop her phone on her face. She replies with 'Nothing' and he replies telling her he was wearing the same thing. Her dreams are far from PG when she drifts off to sleep, her mind swimming with images of his naked body pressed up against her own, holding her while she fell asleep.

.

On Thursday morning, Donna surprises Harvey by showing up at his office with a coffee and a chocolate chip muffin, his old favourite. She's dressed up again, having had come from work and he can't help but stare at her legs when she struts into his office in a pair of black pumps and a black form fitting dress. He's with a student when she arrives, so he quickly wraps things up and shuts the door before the freshman has a chance to check her out a second time.

"Hey professor, I brought you a coffee," she smirks, leaning over his desk as she places the treats down.

"Donna Paulsen, did you come all the way here to try and seduce me?" he teases, rounding his desk to place a small kiss on her cheek.

"What if I did?" she turns towards him, placing a hand on either side of his waist, trapping him between her body and his desk.

"Then I'm the luckiest man on the planet," he breathes, catching her lips between his own.

There moment is cut short when they hear a swift knock at the door and he reluctantly sighs as she steps away from him, apologizing for the fact he was holding an office hour and his students were early to ask him questions.

"It's okay, I'll see you tomorrow?" she smiles, a hand resting on his chest.

"I'll be counting down the seconds," he grins, giving her a small kiss before seeing her out and returning to his workday.

.

On Friday, Harvey drops Gordon off to hangout with Jason and Amelia, under Rachel and - surprisingly - Mike's supervision at Donna's house. He's waiting for Donna in the hall when Mike shows up, a surprised look on his face when Harvey opened the door for him, and not Rachel.

"What are you doing here?" Mike asks.

"I could ask you the same thing..."

"I told Rachel I would help her babysit," Mike explains, kicking off his shoes, "Where are you taking her?"

"Just for dinner…" Harvey mumbles, suddenly embarrassed to admit what his actual date plans were.

"Things seem to be going well with you two," Mike wags an eyebrow at him as Rachel joins them in the hall after hearing Mike's voice.

"Are you talking about these love birds?" Rachel chimes in, greeting Mike with a kiss.

"We're practically back in 1993 up in here," Rachel adds with a playful roll of her eyes.

"High school Harvey, tell me more. I picture him as a total douche, or maybe a stoner," Mike muses with a laugh.

"Total jock, he and Donna were _that_ couple," Rachel answers.

"_That_ couple?" Harvey questions.

"You know, the we're-so-annoyingly-in-love couple that everyone loved to hate because they wanted something just like it."

"We were NOT that couple," Donna argues, joining them all in the hall wearing a cream coloured wrap dress, her hair hanging over her shoulder.

"You two totally were, ask anyone we went to school with who was the most likely to get married and they'd say you two!"

At Rachel's words, both Harvey and Donna blush and look down at their shoes and she realizes what she's just said and rushes to apologize, "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean…"

"It's alright Rach, we know," Donna pats her arm reassuringly.

"Ready?" Harvey asks, taking her hand.

"Behave you two, please don't burn my house down or lose our children!" she instructs, following Harvey outside.

"Don wait!" Rachel calls, running up to her so she can whisper what she has to say next, "When will you be home?"

"I'll keep you posted," she whispers back with a wink.

He takes her to his favourite diner uptown, a small, dingy little hole in the wall he discovered accidentally after moving to the city. He used to frequent it a lot more, back when he would spend nights missing his wife, but he hadn't been in years. He decided it was the perfect place to take her on their official second date, seeing as it always provided him a weird sense of home in the same way being with her did.

Two glasses of wine later and they find themselves stumbling through the halls of Harvey's house, hands desperate to remove every layer of clothing separating them. She undoes the buttons of his shirt as he walks her backwards down the hall, his lips fused to hers. They'd hardly made it out of the car before he found his lips on hers, having been craving her kiss since their last real date. He backs her into the wall at the end of the hall and scoops her up, pinning her between it and his body as she pushes his top off his shoulders and begins to kiss down his neck.

She wraps her legs around his waist, her nails clawing into his back, urging him closer while he nibbles on her ear lobe, whispering her name in a breathy tone repeatedly.

.

_(Boston, 1993)_

_"Donna" he moans as she runs her fingers along his bare back as she lay beneath him on his bed, her legs wrapped around his core while his fingers teased at the waistband of her pants._

_With Harvey's parents out of town, he and Donna had taken advantage of the empty house and decided to have a movie night which quickly turned into a heated make out session that led to a trail of clothing up the stairs and into his bedroom._

_._

He paws at her dress that's already bunched at her waist and he runs his hand along her side, appreciating every curve as she wraps herself around his body, desperate to increase the friction between them. He pulls her closer and carries her away from the wall towards his bedroom, helping toss her dress over her head and leaving her wrapped around his body in black lingerie. He walks them back towards his bed, his lips desperately fusing with hers, his tongue seeking shelter in her mouth as he drops her backwards on the bed and climbs over her, hovering on his elbows as her stares down at her bare body, hardly covered in lace.

"You are…wow" he breathes, his eyes slowly roaming from freckle to freckle, her pale skin begging to be kissed. He leans down and places a slow, lingering kiss between her breasts, an action that causes her breath to hitch in her throat and her hips to thrust forward.

.

_He helps her out of her t-shirt and jeans and climbs back on top of her, hovering over her and taking a moment to appreciate her pink bra and light pink panties, her pale skin begging to be met with his lips._

_"You're staring," she giggles, her hand tracing small circles on his back._

_"You're beautiful," he replies, his eyes a combination of lust and adoration as he drops his body closer to hers, his lips meeting hers with a new-found passion._

_"Donna" he whispers, running his thumb along the side of her face, the feeling of her semi-naked body pressed up against his making every nerve in his body come alive._

_"Are you sure?" he asks._

_They'd been waiting for the right moment and he wanted to be sure she was ready before they jumped into things. She nods and he knows she wants this just as badly as he does so he gently lowers himself to kiss her once again._

.

She manages to flip him onto his back, sliding him out of his jeans, leaving him clad in only boxers as she straddles his lap, his hand reaching up to cup her breasts over her lace bra. She sucks her lower lip into her mouth and he feels a pulse of excitement rush to his groin at the sight of her; her long red locks strewn messily about her shoulders, her lacey bra failing to cover her erect nipples as she sucked on her own lip while grinding down on his already hardened member.

"You're staring" she smirks.

"Appreciating the view, you're beautiful."

She pulls him forward so he's sitting up while she's still straddling him, her arms finding their place behind his neck while his wrap around her waist and he buries his face in her neck. He places a trail of sloppy, wet kisses from the point behind her ear that drives her wild down to her collarbone, pausing to nip and tug at the skin every few kisses. When he finally reaches her collarbone, he sucks at her pulse point and she tosses her head back, grinding her damp panties against his need.

"Get rid of those" she whispers, her fingers dipping below the waistband of his boxers, her seductive tone music to his ears.

He reluctantly removes her from his lap and shuffles to the edge of the bed where he quickly shimmies out of his boxers and returns to the edge of the bed where she's seated. He runs his hands over her bare shoulders from behind and she leans back into his touch. He places a kiss on the freckles dusting her shoulder before he pulls away, staying rooted in his spot behind her, completely naked.

She watches out of the corner of her eye while he steps towards her again and silently undoes the clips on the back of her bra, watching as it slowly falls to the floor, his fingers trailing gentle patterns down her bare back. Leaning forward his lips follow his fingers, setting her skin ablaze with each kiss as he works his way towards her lower back. When he reaches the bottom, his hands reach around and cup her exposed breasts, a sigh escaping her lips at his touch.

.

_She dips her fingers beneath the waistband of his boxers and wraps her palm around his length, and he helps her gain more access by sliding his boxers off. She teases him for a brief moment, pumping her hand up and down while he hisses her name beneath his breath, and he fumbles with the clasp on her bra while she increases her pace. She releases her hold on him when her bra falls to the floor and he takes her left breast in his mouth, flicking at her nipple with his tongue. His hand snakes between their bodies and he teases at her folds over her panties and her body tenses and jerks forward, the sudden sensation of his lips on her and his touch overwhelming her senses._

_He slips a finger beneath the pink fabric and runs it along her center, eliciting a soft, moaned "Harvey" from her lips. Her hands urge him on as she pulls his body closer to hers, her right leg hooking behind his as he slips a finger into her, pumping in rhythm with his tongue._

.

"Lay back" he whispers and Donna scoots backward and lays on her back, facing Harvey's nude body. Her pulse races when she finally catches sight of his body, his chiseled arms and sculpted body glistening with sweat, a mischievous grin painted across his face as he knelt down at the edge of the bed, running his tongue over his lips, eyes locked on her hazel ones. He slowly slides her black panties down her legs, leaving her exposed on her back, desperately craving his touch.

Kneeling, he places three kisses along her inner thigh, showing a patience and discipline that his younger self lacked. He positions himself lower and licks along her clit, sending her hands flying towards his head, keeping him in place. He dips his head between her legs, his tongue working to bring her closer to the edge with each twirling motion, his thumb rubbing along her clit, her grip on his head tightening. He continues to suck at her clit while he feels her walls begin to contract and she cries out his name in a moment of euphoria.

He watches in awe as she comes undone around his tongue, her hair sprawled out across the mattress, his name fresh on her tongue as she cries out while riding out her wave, her thighs squeezing his head until the moment is over and she's left breathless. He kisses up her stomach, dragging his tongue across her navel before his kisses become softer as he moves between her breasts and upwards towards her lips. She takes a moment to steady her rapid breaths before climbing on top of him once again, taking his length in her mouth before he has a chance to react. She runs her tongue from the base to the tip, her eyes locked on his before placing him in her mouth and dipping her head, taking him in all at once. He moans as she continues to slide her lips back and forth, flipping her tongue in a way that makes him close his eyes and silently curse her name. She reaches out and cups his balls in her hand and he has to bite down on his cheek to keep from losing it right then and there.

"I need you…now" she whispers.

He tosses her back against the pillows, working his way up her body once again, hovering over her already soaked center and allowing the tip of his length to tease her entrance while he kissed her with an unparalleled hunger. He slowly guides himself into her and gives her a moment while she adjusts to his size, planting his palms on either side of her head as he begins to rock inside her. Once again she hooks her leg around his thigh and urges him to increase his pace as he manages to hit a spot that makes his toes curl and the hairs on the nape of her neck stand up.

They move as one, his thumb caressing her cheek before slipping between their sweaty bodies and running along her slit, causing her to pant into his mouth, her walls beginning to contract around him as he reaches his peak and they fall over the edge together, coming undone in one another's arms.

He slides out of her and rests his head in the nape of her neck, her arm falling over his back as they lie in each other's arms, breathless.

.

_"Does that… feel okay?"_

_"Yes, don't stop," she breathes, panting in his ear as he continued to slip his finger in and out. She and Harvey had fooled around in the past, but this felt different, his naked body pressed against hers heightening her senses and suddenly she found herself beginning to come undone around his hand._

_She tosses her head back against the pillow and cries out his name, an unfamiliar feeling washing over her body and a shiver courses through her from her head to her toes. He continues to finger her, his lips no longer on her breasts as he watches her react to his touch, the sight mesmerizing. When it's over, he removes his finger and places a kiss on her forehead._

_"Was that… was that alright?" he blushes._

_"That was… incredible" she whispers, tugging him down towards her and kissing him._

_Their naked bodies clash as they make out, his hardened length rubbing up against her clit as he grinds against her, his tongue slipping past hers, his hands roaming down her sides._

_"Harvey?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Can we?" she asks nervously, reaching for him and guiding him towards his entrance._

_He nods and slowly begins to push into her, taking his time as she gets used to the feeling._

_"Is that… okay?"_

_She nods and he continues, sliding himself in all the way and capturing her sensual gasp with a kiss._

_"That feels… so…good," she breathes as he begins to pump in and out of her._

_He begins to thrust harder and faster at her demand, and he can tell that he isn't going to last much longer, her tight walls threatening to push him over the edge at any moment._

_It doesn't last long and soon Donna is screaming Harvey's name as she rides out a second wave. The feeling of her walls clenching around him take him over the edge as well and he quickly slides out of her before finishing, collapsing into her arms once they're both breathless and satisfied._

_She lies on his bare chest, his fingers running through her hair while they come down from their highs, her mind replaying the evening on a loop._

_"We just had sex," he murmurs into her hair._

_"We did."_

_"Did you… enjoy it?" he asks cautiously._

_"Absolutely, did you?"_

_"Of course, it was incredible, you're incredible," he smiles, grinning to himself, proud that he managed to give her not one, but two orgasms._

_"Donna" whispers, slipping his hand between hers._

_"Yes?"_

_"I love you… Like, I really love you."_

_"I love you too" she smiles, snuggling into his side._

.

.

"Donna, that was-"

"I know" she whispers, snuggling into his arms.

"God, I love you," he gushes, the words slipping out before he has a chance to stop them.

"What?" she replies, his words catching her off guard.

"I… um…What I meant is… oh screw it… I love you Donna. I don't think I ever really stopped loving you. For years I thought you might have been the one that got away and now fate is giving us a second chance and I would be a fool to let you slip away without telling you how I feel about you. I know it might seem fast, and I don't expect you to say it back, but I love you, Donna Roberta Paulsen. I always have, I always will."

She blinks back at him, processing everything he'd just told her, a tear slipping from her eye and rolling down her cheek. Choking back a soft sob, she takes his hand in her own, their naked bodies intertwined and she whispers, "I'm in love with you too, Harvey Reginald Specter. I have been for as long as I can remember."

She sends Rachel a quick text when she sneaks out of bed to grab some water, asking if she would mind staying the night so she could return home the next morning. Splashing some water over her face as she waits for a response, she can't help but notice how happy she looks in the mirror. She can't remember the last time she felt so smitten, or the last time she had sex as mind blowing and while it was a lot to take in, she couldn't believe how quickly things were falling into place between them. She always assumed it would be hard to date again, to open up and trust someone again, but Harvey made it easy and she was falling harder and harder with each passing day.

Rachel replies and agrees to stay the night while making a sexually suggestive comment that Donna chooses to ignore. She places her phone back down on the table and climbs into bed, finding her place in his arms and drifting off to sleep.

.

.

**Broadway, 2013**

**Opening Night**

The week that Donna's show was set to open followed a similar trend to the previous week, the pair spending nearly every evening together, either doing things with their families or getting to know each other over dinner. She ended up inviting him to her opening night and when the big night finally rolled around, she was surprised to find she wasn't a total bundle of nerves. She chalked it up to her newfound happiness but it was also the result of how prepared she felt before that curtain came up.

Since Harvey decided to go home and pick up Gordon before the show began, he was stuck sitting three rows behind where Amelia, Jason and Rachel were set up, but the kids waved to him with massive smiles when they spotted him behind them, ready to cheer on their mom.

The show goes off without a hitch, and Donna, unsurprisingly, knocks her role out of the park. He's mesmerized as her watches her on the stage, delivering her lines as if her character was her everyday persona, moving with a poise and grace that made him want to give her a standing ovation after she delivered each line, something the crowd does at the end of the act.

Before the final curtain draws shut, she motions for him to join her backstage. After leaving Gordon with Rachel and the kids, he maneuvers his way backstage, ready to tell her how incredible she was.

She's with the director, Trixie, a young blonde with a pixie cut, dressed in black from head to toe, lips painted a crimson shade of red, when he spots her. He wanders over to her, a bouquet of roses in hand, proud smile plastered across his face.

"Congratulations," he smiles, leaning down to place a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you," she blushes, accepting the flowers as his hand slips around his waist and he pulls her closer to his side.

"Harvey, this is Trixie. Trixie, this is Harvey, my…"

"Harvey!" Jason and Amelia yell as they sprint towards him and throw their arms around his legs, enveloping him in a hug.

"Harvey," he extends his hand to Trixie who shakes it with a smile, "Her Harvey" he finishes her earlier statement and her heart flutters. Her Harvey.

"Nice to meet you," Trixie smiles, before excusing herself.

"Mom you were so good!" Amelia praises and Jason nods his head in agreement.

"Did you guys like it?" she asks her kids.

"I didn't like it Mom… I loved it!" Jason exclaims.

Eventually Gordon and Rachel worm their way through the crowd and the bunch decided to grab ice cream to celebrate Donna's opening night. Harvey and Donna trail behind the group as they make their way outside, a few fellow cast members stopping to congratulate Donna along the way. He nudges into her shoulder with a playful smile, "You were incredible up there. I've always known you were talented, but that stage is where you belong."

"Thank you," she blushes, leaning into his side.

"Let me take you out tomorrow night to celebrate."

"Isn't that what we're going to do now?"

"This is a celebration for family, that will be something just for us, we can start a new tradition, we'll go out for drinks every opening night."

"I like the sound of that."

.

.

**Boston, 1993**

_She spots him sitting in the third row between her mother and Rachel and tosses him a saucy, sarcastic wink before the curtain closes._

_Bouncing off the stage in her blue and white checkered dress she runs to meet him at the stage door, launching herself into his arms as he twirls he around in a kiss._

_"There's my girl," he calls before putting her back down._

_"Donna, you were amazing up there!" he adds, her excited smile illuminated her entire face._

_"You really liked it?" she asks._

_"I liked it much better than the Shakespeare nonsense from last year," he jokes._

_"I still can't believe you came to that, especially because we weren't even dating!"_

_"It was important to you, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."_

_"Despite the fact that I was a kick ass Portia I was last year, I really think Dorothy was some of my finest work," she smiles, dipping her hips from left to right making the skirt of her costume spin._

_"What do you say we go grab a milkshake to celebrate your opening night?"_

_"What about my parents and Rachel?"_

_"I told them I'd bring you home, after all, it's kind of our tradition now, grabbing a shake after your opening night, just the two of us. We can't break our three year tradition, now can we?"_

_"Hard to argue with logic like that," she smirks, taking his hand and tugging him towards her makeshift dressing room so she could change into something more comfortable before their date._

_._

_._

**Brooklyn, 2013**

The following week, Harvey is making pancakes for Gordon when Marcus shows up, claiming to not have seen his brother in weeks as he sees himself into the kitchen and joins Gordon at the table. The outside air had started to become frigid and Marcus kept his scarf and jacket on while munching on a pancake, hounding Harvey about where he'd been lately.

After blowing off guys night a week back, he and Mike failed to reschedule, both preoccupied with the new women that had stumbled into their lives and Marcus was fuming.

"I just don't understand why you've gotten so busy, midterm season isn't for another few weeks…"

"Dad?" Gordon interrupts, looking up from his empty, sticky plate covered in syrup and chocolate chips.

"Can I go watch some TV before you drop me off at Donna's to play with Jason and Amelia?"

"Sure buddy, make sure you wash your hands first," Harvey calls after him, knowing it's a lost cause.

"You and Donna seem to have gotten close again."

"Don't, Marcus."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again!" Marcus yells, remembering the look on his brother's face when he came home that night - devastated and crushed.

"She would never hurt me."

"That's what you said last time, and she left."

"It wasn't like that. Besides, that was twenty years ago, we're not kids anymore," he reasons, his frustrating escalating quickly.

"But you have kids, have you thought about what would happen if this doesn't work out?"

"That's not going to happen Marcus…" he sighs in defeat, his brother's words resonating with him and he can feel himself beginning to overthink.

"And if it does? God Harvey don't be so naïve. Even the best of relationships fail sometimes, and what if this does? What if you two have a falling out? Are you going to tell Gordon he can't see Jason anymore? I'm not going to be around to help you pick up the pieces of your broken heart every time… please, just think about it before you rush into anything."

"Alright Marcus, I hear you," he replies, moving to clean the dishes in the sink with a heavy sigh.

And hear Marcus he did. The rest of his morning was hijacked by paranoid thoughts, his mind running through every possible negative scenario and then some. What if they were rushing into things? They were in what he considered to be a pretty serious relationship and it had only been a few weeks since they reconnected. What if it was so easy to slip back into their natural rhythm that they overlooked something important?

His mind continued down the rabbit whole as he drove through the city streets to her house, their plans to take the kids to the park the last thing he was thinking of. And that's when it hits him, a thought that makes his blood run cold and his fingers clutch at the steering wheel until his knuckles pale. What if her next job took her away from the city, and consequently, away from him? What would happen if her show decided to tour? Their relationship was new, and he couldn't possibly ask her to stay, but the sudden thought of her leaving - leaving him - made him fearful and insecure.

He pulls up outside of her house and Gordon is quickly out of the car, sprinting towards the backyard where Jason had told him they set up a bouncy house that morning. Harvey takes his time walking towards the house, his insecurities eating him alive. She opens the door before he has the chance to knock, wearing yoga pants and a Yale sweater, her hair swept back behind her ears.

"What happens if this doesn't work out?" he spits before she has the chance to greet him.

"Well hello to you too" she teases, her mood a lot lighter than his.

"I'm serious Donna, what happens if things don't work between us? Do we tell the kids they can't be friends anymore? Do we pretend like nothing ever happened? Do we ignore each other for another twenty years?" he panics, the words tumbling out of his mouth a jumbled mess.

"Woah woah, where is this coming from?" she steps towards him, noticing the panic flooding his eyes and suddenly uncertain of what her next words should be.

"What happens if your show tours?" he says barely above a whisper, his eyes refusing to meet hers.

"Then my show will be on tour?" she asks skeptically.

"Harvey, you're confusing me here…"

"What happens to us if you go on tour?" he clarifies, nervously stuffing his hands into his pockets, his head angled downwards so that his view consists of her driveway and his beat-up old shoes.

"We'll make it work," she smiles, trying her best to sound positive and reassuring.

"That's what you said last time and look what happened!" his sudden outburst startling her and she stares back at him wide-eyed.

"You were the one who didn't want to try back then!" she fires back, folding her arms across her chest.

"I was the one who didn't want to try?!" he repeats her accusation.

"You didn't exactly fight for me Harvey!"

"Because you told me not to!" he screams, tossing his arms over his head and turning back towards his car. He pauses when her voice cuts through the air again and he rests both hands on the back of his head while he takes a steadying breath before deciding he should keep walking.

"Harvey!" she calls after him, following him down the driveway in her slippers.

"Do you think that I didn't want to fight for you back then? Do you know how hard it was for me to let you walk away?" his voice breaks as the words leave his lips and he keeps his body angled away from her so she can't see the tear rolling down his cheek. Her heart aches at the pain in his voice and he continues.

"Letting you leave, Donna, it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I did it because I loved you, and it was what you wanted, and I would have done anything if it meant making you happy."

He's wearing his heart on his sleeve, but Marcus' words struck a chord and suddenly he needs to know why she decided to leave all those years ago. He needs to know that they're on the same page now, that they weren't destined to repeat what happened back then.

"Can't you see that I never wanted you to let me go!?" she cries, her hand touching his forearm and forcing him to turn and face her.

"Then why did you tell me to?" he whispers, afraid of what her answer might be but two decades later he decides he finally needs to hear why.

"Because I was afraid!" she yells, the tears in her eyes beginning to cloud her vision.

His sudden rapid-fire questioning about the fate of their relationship rattled her, but she takes a moment to realize that what he really needs is reassurance that she wasn't going to up and leave him again, something she regretted doing when she was younger. The past few weeks with him only confirmed what she already knew, leaving him was the biggest mistake she'd ever made, and she wasn't about to make the same one twice by letting him walk away.

"Afraid of what?"

"How much I loved you!" she chokes, her tears making it harder to find the right words for what she wants to say.

"I was afraid that if I didn't leave, I would give up on chasing my dream because I didn't think I could have both."

"Donna-" he begins but is abruptly cut off as she continues.

"I was just a kid back then… I was about to venture out into a world that terrified me, I panicked and probably made the biggest mistake of my life. But I'm not a kid anymore and the world no longer terrifies me, and I want both. Look, Harvey… I'm in this for the long run, just like I should have been after we graduated. And if my show tours, I'd miss you every single day, but I'd want you to come and visit because this you and me thing, I don't see it ending. You're it for me, Specter. Always have been, always will be."

"You're it for me too," he admits, his tear-filled eyes finally meeting hers.

He steps towards her and takes her in his arms, holding her in the middle of her driveway, the cool fall air cutting through her caragin as she nestled her head beneath his chin and places a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry that I put you through that, back then," she whispers into his chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't fight for you," he whispers back, pulling her closer to his chest.

"Fate really did have a funny way of telling us we belonged together, huh?" she asks and he can feel her smile.

"Thank god because I really couldn't have lived with myself if I let you become the one that got away."

.

.

.

**New York City, 2018**

"Harvey, I need the…" he cuts her off by handing her a package of blue balloons.

"And I didn't have a chance to grab the…" he hands her a second package of red balloons for Jason's Spiderman themed birthday party; because, as he told her last week, Superman was out and Spiderman was in.

"God, it's a good thing I married you," she smirks as tucks his right arm around her waist and pulls her in for a kiss.

"Grosssss" Amelia calls from across the yard where she's hanging a sign that reads "Happy Birthday Jason."

"Can you go check on your sister please?"

"I guess," Amelia answers with a slight roll of her eyes, making her way towards the large brownstone that they'd moved into nearly 4 years before.

"She just gets sassier and sassier, doesn't she?" Harvey chuckles, surveying the yard where Jason and Gordon are tossing a ball back and forth.

"Isn't it fun having a teenage daughter?" Donna teases.

"I'm not sure the teenage part is where the sass comes from, I'm pretty sure that's the Paulsen part," he smirks.

"Daddy!" a small redhead tumbles over to where he and Donna are standing and launches herself into his arms.

"Hey princess, I thought you were helping your sister with the decorating?" Harvey gently bops her nose.

"She said she didn't need help," the young girl explains.

"Rebecca why don't you come help me?" Donna asks and the girl happily joins her mother in hanging balloons.

Harvey sits back and watches as the morning sun begins to rise and the coolness of the morning air begins to disappear. He can't help the smile from creeping across his face as he watches his family decorate the yard of their house. It all felt so surreal. His family. Their house.

After his sudden outburst on her driveway, everything seemed to fall into place and their relationship only grew stronger. Her show did tour that summer, and rather than trying to make the long-distance thing work, he and the three kids went with her. In hindsight, he was glad her production toured, because it was on that trip, touring across the country all summer, that the five of them started to feel like a family.

His thoughts are interrupted by Rebecca's sudden outburst, "Auntie Rachel and Uncle Mike!"

His youngest daughter had really taken a liking to her godparents, and he loved to see that once a party girl Rachel and I-hate-children Mike had really stepped into the role, and as he often told them, they would make amazing parents.

Mike and Rachel were married less than a year after he and Donna started dating. Hearing his best friend's heartfelt vows and holding Donna in his arms as they danced into the night, he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He'd been planning on asking her to marry him for a while, he even had the ring stashed in the pocket of his jacket, just in case the moment should present itself, and he suddenly knew exactly how he wanted to ask her.

.

.

**New York, 2014**

Harvey had moved into Donna's house on the Upper West Side with Gordon after they returned home from their summer road trip. The kids were thrilled with the decision, having become even better friends on the trip. Gordon continued to demonstrate his acceptance of Donna in Harvey's life by seeking her advice and watching old movies with her and Amelia, while Jason and Amelia viewed Harvey as a father figure without hesitation.

Harvey never asked what their father thought of the situation, seeing as they still visited him every other weekend, but he felt it was best to leave well enough alone.

The kids were at Marcus' for the night, so returning home from Mike and Rachel's wedding his fingers are bound between hers as they make their way up the driveway and onto the porch where he waited as she fished around for her key. She looked absolutely incredible in her navy maid of honour gown, the silky material fit to her curves and her hair pulled away from her face revealing her freckles.

Watching as she rummages through her purse, he's only more certain that this is the right moment to ask her what he'd been dying to ask since he bought that ring and promised himself he would marry his first love.

"Donna" he breathes, allowing his fingers to linger across her bare shoulder and work down her arm until his fingers are once again entrapped by hers.

"Do you remember when we were in high school and we went on that walk through old man Malts' vineyard and talked about our plans for the future?"

"I remember he was livid that we trespassed onto his property," she laughs, her eyes trying to read his to see where he was going with this.

.

.

**Boston, 1993**

_Wandering through the vineyard hand in hand, he tugs her towards a bench overlooking a small pond, illuminated by the moonlight. He takes a seat and she lay across the bench with her head in his lap while he slowly runs his fingers through her hair._

_"I can't believe we're seniors, we're going to have to graduate and become adults soon," she sighs._

_"Well, at least we can do it together."_

_"Does that mean we'll get married someday?" she smiles up at him, the moonlight reflecting off her face and putting a glimmer in her eyes._

_"Of course."_

_"In June?"_

_"If that's what you want. And we'll have a big house, maybe even kids…"_

_"Three kids" she nods, "No wait, four kids!"_

_"And one of those motivational quotes above our front door that says something lame like 'Life is short', or 'Always say I love You when you have the chance'."_

_"I like the sound of that, it sounds incredible," she muses, cuddling further into his lap._

_"We're going to have an incredible life because we're going to have each other."_

_._

_._

**New York, 2014**

"When we were seventeen, I promised you a life one day. A big house filled with kids and a June wedding like in that movie you were obsessed with. I'm sorry it's taken me a while, but despite getting a little lost along the way, we found each other again, and though it's not what I meant back then, we have a house and it's filled with three kids that I adore."

"Harvey are you…?" she whispers, a tear rolling down her cheek when she realizes what he's doing.

"At seventeen years old, I knew I wanted to marry you. Now here we are, two decades later, and nothing has changed. I love you, Donna Roberta Paulsen, and I want to spend the rest of my life making up for lost time."

He drops to his knee and pulls the small black box from his jacket pocket, revealing an elegant engagement ring that surpassed anything in seventeen year old Donna's wildest dreams.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes, a million times yes," she cries, holding out her left hand so he can put the ring on her finger and pulling him to his feet for a kiss.

.

.

**New York, 2018**

"Mrs. Paulsen-Specter, is there a reason you're hiding in the kitchen and avoiding our son's birthday party?"

"I guess I was feeling sentimental and hoping you'd follow me in here."

"Sentimental in a kitchen?"

"Do you remember Jason's birthday party about five years ago? The one you brought Gordon too before we went out?"

"Yes?" he answers hesitantly.

"You were standing next to the counter, like this," she positions him next to her and he stares back confused at where she was going with this.

"And I was standing like this," she steps towards him, taking his hands in her own.

"Ah, you know I think there's something missing in this scenario, something that should've been included five years ago."

He closes the distance between them, his hands wrapping around her waist and lifting her from the ground as he lips sink into hers. He deepens the kiss and she sighs into his lips before the back door flies open and Rachel's cough interrupts them.

"Wow, Deja vu," she teases, grabbing the fruit tray she was looking for and excusing herself.

When their laughter finally subsides, Harvey fishes the birthday cake out of the fridge and Donna grabs some candles for the top. Everyone gathers around Jason as they sing Happy Birthday, and once again, Harvey can't believe this is his life. His boys, Jason and Gordon, sitting side by side while Rachel and Donna begin handing out slices of cake. His stepdaughter, Amelia chatting with Mike across the table, while his youngest daughter, Rebecca sat in his lap. Rebecca had been a welcome surprise a year after they were married, and while she was a spitting image of her mother, he was glad that she was most definitely a daddy's girl.

Donna tosses his a small wink while she continues to pass out slices of cake. Who would have thought that one day, the girl who'd always held a piece of his heart would be standing next to him in a home they bought together, their blended family happily laughing while he recalled just how lucky he was.

Harvey Specter fell in love with Donna Paulsen the moment he met her back in 1990. He finally had the courage to tell her how he felt in 1993 and now here he was in 2018, watching her serve slices of chocolate cake to their family, the Paulsen-Specter's.

**FIN. **

AN: That's all she wrote folks (literally). Thanks for coming along on this ride with me, this piece was brought to you by plenty of 3am writing sessions and an abundance of coffee so please, leave me a nice review (or a not nice review, whatever floats your boat, I like all reviews)


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